1910 
361.973  N277      v.6 


SIXTH  BIENNIAL  SESSION 


OF  THE 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE 


OF 


JEWISH    CHARITIES 

in  tne  United  States 

_j 

HELD  IN  THE  CITY  OF  ST.  LOUIS 

i\  3  IP  \ ,  i  "Y  ^  ^ !  -  7  7  v  •  ^ 

May  17th  to  19th,  1910 


JAN    2  6  193; 

BALTIMORE 

PRESS  OP  KOHN  &  POLLOCK,  INC. 
1910 


SRU 
URL 

L 


M/2 

CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

OFFICERS,  1908-1910 5 

OFFICERS,  1910-1912 6 

CONSTITUTION 7 

MEMBERSHIP  OF  THE  CONFERENCE 10 

REGISTER  OF  DELEGATES 19 

PROGRAMME 25 

PROCEEDINGS 28 

OPENING  SESSION 28 

Prayer:  Rabbi  Samuel  Sale 28 

Address  of  Welcome:  Hon.  Elias  Michael 29 

Presidential  Address:  Prof.  J.  H.  Hollander 32 

Address:  Jane  Addams 39 

Report  of  Committee  on  Transportation:  Judge  Julian  W.  Mack 41 

Secretary's  Report:  Louis  H.  Levin 45 

Prayer:  Rabbi  Leon  Harrison 53 

WEDNESDAY  MORNING  SESSION 54 

Family  Desertion:  Morris  D.  Waldman 54 

Discussion:  Max  Senior 84 

Benjamin  Tuska 86 

A.  S.  Newman 95 

Mrs.  C.  A.  Stix 101 

Boris  D.  Bogen 103 

Mrs.  Henry  Solomon 103 

S.  B.  Kaufman 104 

Cyrus  L.  Sulzberger 104 

Miriam  Kalisky 105 

G.  A.  Berlinsky 106 

Jacob  Billikopf 107 

Morris  D.  Waldman 110 

WEDNESDAY  AFTERNOON  SESSION Ill 

The  Removal  Work,  Including  Galveston:  David  M.  Bressler Ill 

Discussion:  Jonas  Weil 141 

Rabbi  Ephraim  Frisch 144 

Cyrus  L.  Sulzberger 152 

Rabbi  I.  L.  Leucht 157 

S.  H.  Frohlichstein 158 

Jacob  Billikopf 160 

Jacob  Furth 163 

Rabbi  M.  Samfield 165 

David  M.  Bressler 166 

Report  of  Committee  on  President's  Message 167 


PAGB. 

WEDNESDAY  EVENING  SESSION 168 

Legal  Aid:  Minnie  F.  Low 168 

Discussion:  Bernard  Greensfelder 186 

Max  B.  May , 191 

Max  Herzberg 197 

Mrs.  Henry  Solomon 198 

Minnie  F.  Low 198 

BUSINESS  SESSION 199 

Resolutions 200 

Election  of  Officers 203 

THURSDAY  MORNING  SESSION 204 

A  Study  of  the  Problem  of  Boarding  Out  Children:  Solomon  Lowenstein .  204 

Discussion :  Henry  Mauser 219 

Armand  Wyle 222 

Morris  D.  Waldman 227 

Chester  J.  Teller 228 

Saul  Drucker 229 

Mrs.  Henry  Solomon 231 

Minnie  F.  Low 232 

Rabbi  Max  Landsberg 237 

Special  Education  of  Jewish  Dependent  Children:  Chester  Jacob  Teller .  239 

THURSDAY  AFTERNOON  SESSION 248 

Discussion  of  Mr.  Teller's  paper: 

Prof.  H.  L.  Sabsovich 248 

Henry  Woolf 250 

The  Relation  of  a  Social  Worker  to  His  Organization:  Boris  D.  Bogen .  .  254 

Discussion :  Montefiore  Bienenstok 265 

Chester  J.  Teller 270 

Rabbi  Rudolph  I.  Coffee 271 

Cyrus  L.  Sulzberger 272 

Boris  D.  Bogen 273 

Work  of  Y.  M.  H.  A.  of  New  York:  Falk  Younker 274 

Social  Work  as  a  Profession:  Louis  H.  Levin 278 

Discussion:  Rabbi  Sidney  E.  Goldstein 287 

Philip  L.  Seman 291 

Business  Meeting : 296 

Prayer: 

Rabbi  Dr.  Mendel  Silber 297 

Treasurer's  Report 298 

Transportation  Decisions 307 

Transportation  Rules 307 

Index. .  .  319 


OFFICERS   1908-1910 


President. 
JACOB  H.  HOLLANDER,  BALTIMORE,  MD. 

Vice-Presidents. 

MARTIN  A.  MARKS,  CLEVELAND,  OHIO. 
MRS.  MAX  LANDSBERG,  ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 

Secretary. 

Louis  H.  LEVIN,  BALTIMORE,  MD., 
411  West  Fayette  Street. 

Treasurer. 
BERNARD  GREENSFELDER,  ST.  Louis,  Mo. 

Executive  Committee. 

MAX  SENIOR,  CINCINNATI,  OHIO. 
MAX  HERZBERG,  PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 
JULIAN  W.  MACK,  CHICAGO,  ILL. 
NATHAN  BIJUR,  NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 
JOSEPH  H.  COHEN,  NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 
SAMUEL  S.  FLEISHER,  PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 
LEE  K.  FRANKEL,  NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 

JULIUS    ROSENWALD,    ClIICAGO,    ILL. 

Lucius  L.   SOLOMONS,   SAN   FRANCISCO,   CAL. 


OFFICERS   1910-1912 


President. 
LEE  K.  FRANKEL,  NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 

Vice-Presidents. 

JULIUS    KOSENWALD,    CHICAGO,    ILL. 

SIDNEY  E.  PRITZ,  CINCINNATI,  OHIO. 

Treasurer. 
BERNARD  GREENSFELDER,  ST.  Louis,  Mo. 

Secretary. 

Louis  H.  LEVIN,  BALTIMORE,  MD., 
411  West  Fayette  Street. 

Executive  Committee. 

MAX  SENIOR,  CINCINNATI,  OHIO. 
MAX  HERZBERG,  PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 
JULIAN  W.  MACK,  CHICAGO,  ILL. 
NATHAN  BIJUR,  NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 
JACOB  H.  HOLLANDER,  BALTIMORE,  MD. 
SAMUEL  S.  FLEISHER,  PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 
ALFRED  BENJAMIN,  KANSAS  CITY,  Mo. 
MINNIE  F.  Low,  CHICAGO,  ILL. 
AARON  WALDHEIM,  ST.  Louis,  Mo. 
JONAS  WEIL,  MINNEAPOLIS,  MINN. 


CONSTITUTION 

OF  THE 

National  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities 

IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 


ARTICLE  I.— NAME. 

This  association  shall  be  known  as  the  National  Conference  of 
Jewish  Charities  in  the  United  States. 

ARTICLE  II.— OBJECTS. 

The  objects  of  this  association  are  to  discuss  the  problems  of 
charities  and  to  promote  reforms  in  their  administration;  to  pro- 
vide uniformity  of  action  and  co-operation  in  all  matters  per- 
taining to  the  relief  and  betterment  of  the  Jewish  poor  of  the 
United  States,  without,  however,  interfering  in  any  manner  with 
the  local  work  of  any  constituent  society. 

ARTICLE  III. — MEMBERSHIP  AND  DUES. 

SECTION  1.  Any  regularly  organized  Jewish  Society  of  the 
United  States  having  charitable  and  philanthropic  purposes  may 
become  a  member  of  the  association  on  application  made  to  the 
Secretary  and  on  payment  of  the  membership  dues. 

SEC.  2.  The  annual  Membership  Dues  in  a  city  where  Federa- 
tion exists  shall  be  for  such  Federation  one  per  cent.  (1%)  of 
the  annual  amount  expended  by  it  for  its  corporate  purposes  during 
the  preceding  year;  not  less,  however,  than  five  dollars  ($5.00) 
nor  more  than  fifty  dollars  ($50.00) ;  and  dues  of  five  dollars 
($5.00)  for  any  constituent  member  of  such  Federation  that  shall 
desire  membership  in  this  Conference. 

In  cities  where  no  Federation  exists,  the  annual  membership 
dues  for  each  society  shall  be  five  dollars  ($5.00)  where  its  ex- 
penditures as  above  are  less  than  five  thousand  dollars  ($5,000.00) 
and  ten  dollars  ($10.00)  for  all  others. 


Individuals  may  become  subscribing  members  upon  the  payment 
of  one  dollar  ($1.00)  dues  annually,  for  which  they  shall  be 
entitled  to  all  the  publications  of  the  Conference,  but  they  shall 
have  no  vote. 

SEC.  3.  Each  constituent  society  shall  be  entitled  to  one  dele- 
gate, but  may  appoint  as  many  as  it  sees  fit  to  attend  the  biennial 
meeting.  All  such  delegates  shall  be  entitled  to  participate  in 
said  meeting,  but  each  society  shall  have  but  one  vote. 

SEC.  4.  Each  constituent  society  shall  certify  to  the  Secretary 
on  or  before  January  1  of  each  year  the  amount  of  its  expenditures 
for  its  corporate  purposes  during  the  preceding  fiscal  year. 

ARTICLE  IV.— OFFICERS. 

SECTION  1.  The  officers  of  the  Conference  shall  be  a  President, 
two  Vice-Presidents,  a  Treasurer  and  a  Secretary,  who,  with  five 
other  elective  members  and  all  ex-presidents  ex-officio,  shall  con- 
stitute the  Executive  Committee.  Officers  shall  be  elected  by  ballot 
at  the  biennial  meeting,  and  shall  hold  office  two  years  and  until 
their  successors  are  elected  and  inducted. 

SEC.  2.  Vacancies  in  any  of  the  offices  provided  in  Section  1 
of  this  Article  may  be  filled  for  the  unexpired  portion  of  the  term 
of  office  at  any  meeting  of  the  Executive  Committee. 

ARTICLE  V.— DUTIES  OF  OFFICERS. 

SECTION  1.  The  officers  of  this  Conference  shall  perform  the 
duties  usually  incumbent  upon  such  officers,  and  shall  submit  a 
report  at  the  biennial  meeting. 

SEC.  2.  The  Executive  Committee  shall  transact  the  business 
of  the  Conference  in  the  interim  between  the  biennial  meetings. 
It  shall  arrange  for  the  biennial  meeting,  and  have  the  power  to 
appoint  regular  and  special  committees. 

SEC.  3.  The  Executive  Committee  shall  meet  at  the  call  of  the 
President,  or  at  the  request  of  three  members.  Four  members 
shall  constitute  a  quorum. 

SEC.  4.  When  the  Executive  Committee  is  not  in  session  it 
may,  by  majority  vote  of  its  members  acting  individually,  authorize 
any  action  first  submitted  in  writing  to  each  of  them. 


ARTICLE  VI.— MEETINGS. 

SECTION  1.  This  Conference  shall  meet  biennially  at  such  place 
and  time  as  the  Executive  Committee  shall  designate. 

SEC.  2.  Delegates  representing  fifteen  constituent  societies 
shall  constitute  a  quorum  at  such  biennial  meetings. 

ARTICLE  VII.— AMENDMENTS. 

This  constitution  may  be  amended  at  any  biennial  meeting  by 
a  majority  vote  of  the  societies  represented,  provided  notice  of  the 
proposed  amendment  shall  have  been  mailed  to  all  the  constituent 
societies  at  least  sixty  days  prior  to  such  meeting;  or  it  may  be 
amended  at  any  time  by  a  majority  vote  of  all  the  constituent 
societies.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Executive  Committee  to  sub- 
mit all  proposed  amendments. 


MEMBERSHIP 

National  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities 

IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 


NAME  OF  SOCIETY. 

Albany,  N.  Y Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Dr.  M.  Schless- 

inger,  Secty.,  334  Hudson  Ave. 

Albany,  N.  Y Jewish    Home    Society,    Albert    Hessberg, 

Pres.,  57  State  St. 

Alexandria,  Va Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Dr.  N.  Wolberg, 

Secty. 

Atlanta,   Ga Federation    of    Jewish    Charities,    V.    H. 

Kriegshaber,  Pres.,  8  N.  Forsyth  St. 

Atlanta,   Ga Hebrew  Orphan  Home  of  Atlanta,  Ga.,  Max 

Cohen,   Secty.   and   Treas.,   509    Seventh 
St.  N.  W.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Atlanta,  Ga Montefiore  Eelief  Association,  A.   Schwarz, 

Secty. 

Baltimore,  Md The  Federated  Jewish  Charities  of  Balti- 
more, Louis  H.  Levin,  Secty.,  411  W. 
Fayette  St. 

Baltimore,  Md Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Louis  H.  Levin, 

Secty.,  411  W.  Fayette  St. 

Baltimore,  Md United    Hebrew    Charities    of    Baltimore, 

Daniel  Ellison,  Secty.,  1017  E.  Baltimore 
St. 

Birmingham,  Ala ....  United  Hebrew  Charities,  Mr.  E.  Lesser, 
Pres. 

Boston,  Mass Hebrew  Women's  Sewing  Society,  Mrs.  Ely 

Feibelman,  Clerk,  15  Montague  St.,  Dor- 
chester, Mass. 

Boston,  Mass United    Hebrew    Benevolent    Society,    Max 

Mitchell,  Supt.,  Charity  Bldg.,  Chardon 
St. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE    OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  11 

Braddock,   Pa Braddock  Lodge,  Ho.  516,  I.  0.  B.  B.,  Morris 

Adler,  Secty.,  8th  St.  and  Braddock  Ave. 
Buffalo,  N.  Y Federated  Jewish  Charities,   Miss  Cecil  B. 

Wiener,  Rec.  Secty.,  830  Prudential  Bldg. 
Buffalo,  N.  Y Hebrew  Benevolent  Loan  Association,  Emil 

Rubinstein,  Secty.,  267  William  St. 
Charleston,  S.  C Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  M.  H.  Nathan, 

Secty.,  and  Treas.,  168  E.  Bay  St. 
Chicago,  111 Associated      Jewish      Charities,      Abraham 

Hirschberg,  Secty.,  108  La  Salle  St. 
Chicago,  111 Bureau  of  Personal  Service,  Miss  Minnie  F. 

Low,  Supt,  720  W.  12th  St. 

Chicago,  111 Chicago   Women's   Aid,   Mrs.   Benj.   Rosen- 
berg, Secty.,  3358  Calumet  Ave. 
Chicago,  111 Home  of  Jewish  Friendless  Working  Girls, 

Elias  Mayer,  Rec.  Secty.,  810  Clark  St. 
Chicago,  111 Jewish  Aid  Society,  Louis  M.  Cahn,  Secty., 

Tribune  Bldg. 
Cincinnati,   Ohio United  Jewish  Charities,  Mr.  Max  Senior, 

Prcs.;   Dr.    Boris   D.   Bogen,    Supt.,    730 

Carlisle  St. 
Cleveland,    Ohio The  Federation  of  Jewish  Charities,  E.  M. 

Baker,  Secty.,  513  Citizens  Bldg. 
Cleveland,    Ohio Jewish  Orphan  Asylum,  Dr.  S.  Wolfenstein, 

Supt. 
Colorado  Springs,,  Col .  Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  W.  Leipheimer, 

Secty.,  P.  0.  Box  445. 
Columbus,  Ohio Jewish  Charities,  Mr.  Paul  Karger,  Secty., 

333  Columbus  Savings  and  Trust  Bldg. 
Dallas,  Tex Congregation   Emanu   El,    Mr.    D.    A.    El- 

dridge,  Secty. 
Dayton,  Ohio Hebrew  Ladies'  Relief  Society,  Mrs.  J.  Haas, 

Secty.,  228  Maple  St. 
Denver,  Col Jewish  Relief  Society,  Mrs.  L.  Bruck,  Supt., 

30  Pioneer  Bldg. 


12  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

Denver,  Col Denver  Sheltering  Home  for  Jewish  Chil- 
dren, Meyer  Friedman,  Treas.,  3247  W. 
19th  St. 

Denver,  Col ...Jewish    Consumptives    Relief    Society,    Dr. 

Chas.  D.  Spivak,  Secty. 

Des  Moines,  la Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Mrs.  S.  Levin- 
son,  Secty.,  1031  Sixth  Ave. 

Detroit,  Mich Detroit    Ladies'    Society    for    Support    of 

Widows  and  Orphans,  Flora  B.  Marg- 
mont,  Secty. 

Detroit,  Mich United    Jewish    Charities,    A.    Benjamin, 

Secty.,  239  E.  High  St. 

Duluth,  Minn Temple    Aid    Society,    Mrs.    M.    Cornfield, 

Secty.,  care  of  Hotel  Spalding. 

El  Paso,  Tex Mt.    Sinai   Congregation,   Martin   Zielonka, 

Secty.,  P.  0.  Box  756. 

Evansville,  Ind Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Mrs.  M.  Ober- 

dorfer,  Pres.,  1245  Upper  First  St. 

Fort  Wayne,  Ind. ..  .Hebrew  Relief  Union,  Joseph  Freiburger, 
Pres. 

Gainesville,  Tex United  Hebrew  Congregation  of  Gainesville, 

Tex.,  I.  Cohen,  Secty.,  Church  and  Red 
River  Sts. 

Galveston,  Tex The  Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  E.  W.  Levy, 

Secty. 

Hot  Springs,  Ark. .  .  .  Hot  Spring  Relief  Society,  Rabbi  A.  B. 
Rhine,  Secty. 

Houston,  Tex Beth  Israel  Benevolent  Society,  S.  Freund- 

lich,  Secty.,  1612  Bell  Ave. 

Houston,  Tex Jewish  Women's  Benevolent  Association, 

Miss  A.  Westheimer,  Secty.,  1612  Hadley 
Ave. 

Indianapolis,  Ind. . .  .The  Jewish  Federation,  821  S.  Meridian  St., 
S.  B.  Kaufman,  Supt. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  13 

Kalamazoo,  Mich. ..  .Congregation    B'nai    Israel,    Samuel    Folz, 

Main  and  Portage  Sts. 
Kansas  City,  Mo Hebrew  Ladies'  Belief  Association,  Mrs.  H. 

Levite,  Pres.,  1413  E.  13th  St.;  Mrs.  S. 

Lensitz,  Secty.,  1741  Lydia  Ave. 
Kansas  City,  Mo Hochnosas  Orchirn,  S.  Zacharias,  Pres.,  1617 

Forest  St. 
Kansas  City,  Mo United   Jewish    Charities,   Jacob    Billikopf , 

Supt.,  1702  Locust  St. 
Lancaster,  Pa United  Hebrew  Charity  Association,  Jonas 

Fox,  Secty.,  123  E.  King  St. 
Lincoln,  Neb The  Jewish  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  Mrs.  Wm. 

Gold,  Secty.,  1712  E.  Fifth  St. 
Los  Angeles,  Cal ....  Hebrew     Benevolent    Society,     N.     Zeisler, 

Secty.,  110  New  Hellman  Block. 
Louisville,  Ky Federation  of  Jewish  Charities,  531  S.  First 

St.,  Garfield  A.  Berlinsky,  Secty. 
Louisville,  Ky Congregation  Adath  Israel,  Mr.  M.  Strauss, 

Secty.,  746  N.  Main  St. 
Louisville,  Ky United    Hebrew   Belief    Association,    G.    S. 

Rosenberg,  Secty.,  1721  First  St. 

Mattapan,  Mass Leopold  Morse  Home  and  Orphanage,  Henry 

Woolf,  Supt. 

Memphis,  Tenn United     Hebrew     Relief    Association,     218 

Adams  St.,  Dr.  M.  Samfield,  Pres. 

Meridian,  Miss Meridian  Jewish  Orphans'  Home  and  Be- 
nevolent Association,  Rabbi  Max  Raisin, 
Secty. 

Milwaukee,  Wis Hebrew  Relief  Association,  Louis  Lachman, 

Secty.,  806  Wall  St. 

Milwaukee,  Wis Independent  Jewish  Charities,  Louis  Cohen, 

Secty.,  441  Seventh  St. 

Milwaukee,  Wis Ladies'   Relief   Sewing   Society,   Mrs.    Wm. 

Baum,  Secty.,  1816  State  St. 


14 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 


Milwaukee,  Wis. 
Milwaukee,  Wis. 


Minneapolis,  Minn 


Mobile,  Ala 

Montgomery,  Ala. 


Nashville,  Tenn. , 
Newark,  N.  J .  . , 


New  Haven,  Conn 
New  Orleans,  La . 
New  Orleans,  La. 

New  York,  N.  Y. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 
New  York,  N.  Y. , 
New  York,  N.  Y. , 

New  York,  N.  Y. . 


. .  Mt.  Sinai  Hospital,  Leopold  Hammel,  Secty. 
. .  Ladies'    Sanitary    and    Benevolent    Society, 

Mrs.  J.  W.  Primakow,  Secty.,  1024  Eighth 

St. 
. .  Associated  Jewish  Charities,  J.  H.  Schan- 

feld,    Chairman    of    Relief    Committee, 

Metropolitan  Life  Bldg. 
. .  United  Hebrew  Charities,  Henry  Hess,  Pres. 
. .  United    Hebrew    Charities,    Jacques    Loeb, 

Secty.,  101  Talapoosa  St. 
.  .Hebrew  Relief  Society,  D.  Cline,  Secty.,  128 

N.  Market  St. 
. .  Hebrew    Orphan    Asylum    and    Benevolent 

Society,   Mr.   G.   J.   Kempe,   Secty.,   530 

Clinton  Ave. 
. .  Hebrew  Benevolent   Society,   F.   M.   Adler, 

Secty.,  care  of  Strause,  Adler  &  Co. 
. .  Assoc.   Relief  of  Jewish   Widows  and   Or- 
phans, P.  S.  Weis,  Secty.,  P.  0.  Box  966. 
.  .  Touro    Infirmary    and    Hebrew    Benevolent 

Association,    Chas.    Rosen,    Secty.,    3516 

Prytania  St. 
.  .  Baron  de  Hirsch  Fund,  Prof.  H.  L.  Sabso- 

vich,  General  Agent,  43  Exchange  Place. 
.  .  Council    of    Jewish    Women,    Miss    Sadie 

American,  Secty.,  448  Central  Park,  W. 
. .  The    Free    Synagogue,    Rabbi    Stephen    S. 

Wise,  46  E.  68th  St. 
. .  Hebrew  Free  Loan  Association,  108  Second 

Ave. 

. .  Hebrew  Sheltering  and  Immigrant  Aid  So- 
ciety, Judge  Leon  Sanders,  Pres.,  229  E. 

Broadway. 
. .  Ladies'  Fuel  and  Aid  Society,  J.  M.  Gue- 

dalia,  Secty.,  132  Nassau  St. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  15 

New  York,  N.  Y Montefiore   Home,   Arthur   D.   Wolf,    Hon. 

Secty.,  Broadway  and  138th  St. 

New  York,  N.  Y Hebrew    Orphan    Asylum,    137th    St.    and 

Amsterdam  Ave.,  Theo.  Obermeyer,  Secty. 

New  York,  N.  Y .  .  .  .  United    Hebrew    Charities,    Dr.    Morris    D. 
Waldman,  Mgr.,  356  Second  Ave. 

New  York,  N.  Y.... Young  Men's  Hebrew  Association,  92d  St. 
and  Lexington  Ave.,  Falk  Younker,  Supt. 

Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. .Ladies'    Hebrew    Benevolent    Society,    Miss 
Theresa  Garsman,  Secty.,  826  Willow  Ave. 

Norfolk,  Va Ladies'    Hebrew    Benevolent    Society,    Mrs. 

Chas.  Meyers,  Secty.,  244  Holt  St. 

Oakland,   Cal Daughters  of  Israel  Eelief  Society,  Filbert 

St.,  Mrs.  M.  Jonas,  Treas. 

Paducah,  Ky Congregation    Temple    Israel,    I.    Benedict, 

Secty. 

Pensacola,  Fla Congregation  Beth  El,  Mr.   Julius  Menko, 

Secty. 

Peoria,  111 Hebrew  Eelief  Association,  Wm.  F.  Wollner, 

Pres.,  437  Moss  Ave. 

Philadelphia,  Pa Home  for  Hebrew  Orphans,  Meyer  C.  Pos- 

ner,  Secty.,  10th  and  Bainb ridge  Sts. 

Philadelphia,  Pa The    Jewish    Foster    Home    and     Orphan 

Asylum,  Dr.  Fleischman,  Supt.,  German- 
town,  Pa. 

Philadelphia,  Pa Jewish  Hospital,  Harry  N.  Wessel,  Secty., 

Stafford  Bldg.,  1112  Chestnut  St. 

Philadelphia,  Pa The  Orphans'  Guardians,  M.  M.  Getz,  Secty., 

N.  W.  Cor.  15th  and  York  Sts. 

Philadelphia,  Pa United   Hebrew    Charities,    Max   Herzberg, 

Pres. 

Philadelphia,  Pa Young  Women's  Union,  Alice  E.  Jastrow, 

Cor.  Secty.,  1328  Montgomery  Ave. ;  Leah 
Abeles,  Treas.,  806  N.  Ninth  St. 


16  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

Pine  Bluff,  Ark Hebrew  Eelief  Association,  Rabbi  E.  Frisch. 

Secty. 
Pittsburg,  Pa Council    of   Jewish    Women,   Miss    Pauline 

Block,  Secty.,  330  Stratford  Ave. 
Pittsburg,  Pa United  Hebrew  Eelief  Association,  Mr.  M. 

Himmelreich,  Treas.,  314  Fifth  Ave. 

Portland,  Ore First  Hebrew  Benevolent  Association,  Solo- 
mon Blumauer,  Secty.,  108  Fourth  St. 
Portland,  Ore Jewish   Women's   Benevolent   Society,   Mrs. 

Tillie  Selling,  Secty.,  434  Main  St 
Portsmouth,  Ohio. . .  .Ladies'  Aid  Society,  Mrs.  Ben  Davis,  Secty., 

Turley  Bldg. 
Reading,  Pa Ladies'   Hebrew   Aid   Society,   Celia    Cohn, 

Secty.,  18  Penn  Ave. 
Richmond,  Va Congregation   Beth    Ahabah   of   Richmond, 

Henry  S.  Hutzler,  Secty. 

Richmond,  Va Hebrew  Home  for  Aged  and  Infirm,  Henry 

S.  Hutzler,  Pres. 

Richmond,  Va Hebrew    Ladies'    Benevolent    Society,    Mrs. 

Moses  May,  Treas.,  607  E.  Broad  St. 

Rochester,  N".  Y United  Jewish   Charities,  Dr.   Max  Lands- 
berg,  Secty.,  420  Main  St.,  E. 
Rochester,  N.  Y Jewish     Orphan     Asylum     Association     of 

Western  New  York,  Dr.  Max  Landsberg, 

Secty.,  420  Main  St. 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah .  Jewish   Relief   Society,  Becky   Fulop,   Cor. 

Secty.,  P.  0.  Box  546. 
San  Antonio,  Tex. . . .  Montefiore      Benevolent      Society,      Isidor 

Strauss,  Secty. 
San  Francisco,  Cal . . .  Emanuel   Sisterhood,   Mrs.   C.   R.   Walters, 

Secty.,  Menlo  Park,  Cal. 
San  Francisco,  Cal. .  .Hebrew  Board  of  Relief,  M.  H.  Levy,  Secty., 

1768  O'Farrel  St. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  1? 

Savannah,  Ga Ladies'  Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Mrs.  A. 

Vetsburg,  Secty.,  1611  Abercorn  St. 
Scranton,   Pa Jewish  Ladies'  Belief  Society,  Mrs.  Louis  H. 

Isaacs,  Secty.,  717  Quincy  Ave. 
Seattle,  Wash Hebrew  Ladies'  Benevolent  Society,  Mrs.  I . 

Cooper,  Secty.,  1104  Minor  Ave. 
Sioux  City,  la United  Hebrew  Charity  Association,  Edward 

Baron,  Secty. 
Sioux  City,  la Jewish    Ladies'    Aid    Society,    Mrs.    Benj. 

Schulein,  Secty. 
St.  Joseph,  Mo Jewish    Ladies'    Benevolent    Society,    Mrs. 

Julius  Eosenblatt,  Secty.,  410  W.  6th  St. 
St.  Louis,  Mo Jewish   Charitable  and  Educational  Union, 

Bernard  Greensfelder,  Secty.,  Ninth  and 

Carr  Sts. 
St.  Paul,  Minn Bicker  Cholem  Society,  Mrs.  B.  Mark,  Pres., 

589  Pine  St. 
St.  Paul,  Minn The  Jewish   Relief   Society,  Mrs.  J.   West- 

heimer,  Rec.  Secty.,  846  Summit  Ave. 
Stockholm,  Cal Ladies'    Hebrew    Benevolent   Society,   Belle 

Rosenthal,  Secty.,  128  E.  Minor  Ave. 
Syracure,  N.  Y United    Jewish    Charities,    Sol.    Ferguson, 

Secty.,  102  Walnut  Place. 
Toledo,  Ohio Hebrew  Ladies'  Benevolent  Society,  Mrs.  I. 

Hubert,  Treas.,  14  Seventeenth  St. 
Troy,  N.  Y Ladies'  Society  B'rith  Shalom  Congregation, 

Dr.  Theo.  F.  Joseph,  care  of  The  Mansion 

House. 
Vicksburg,   Miss Associated  Jewish  Charities,  Sol.  L.   Kory, 

Supt. 
Vicksburg,   Miss Ladies'  Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Mrs.  M. 

Warnheim,  402  E.  Grover  St. 
Waco,  Tex The  Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  B.  Kaplan, 

Secty.,  307  Austin  Ave. 


18  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE  SIXTH 

Washington,  D.  C . . .  The    United    Hebrew    Charities,    Columbia 

Bldg.,  A.  D.  Prince,  Treas.,  400  Seventh 

St.  N.  W. 
Wheeling,  W.  Va.... United  Hebrew   Charities,   Jos.   Raduziner, 

Secty.,  1103  Main  St. 
Wilkes-Barre,  Pa Ladies'    Auxiliary,    Y.    W.    H.    A.,    Miss 

Pamelia  Constine,  Secty.,  275  S.  River  St. 
Wilmington,  Del Hebrew  Charity  Association,  Harry  Gordon, 

Secty.,  231  Market  St. 
Youngstown,  Ohio. . . .  The  Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Lillie  M. 

Guggenheim,  Secty. 


Register  of  Delegates' 


Victor  H.  Kriegshaber,  Federation  of  Jewish  Charities,  Atlanta, 
Ga. 

Mary  Caplan,  Young  Ladies'  Benevolent  Society,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Aimee  Guggenheimer,  Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Minnie  S.  Hanaw,  Social  Service  in  H.  Sonneborn  Factory,  Balti- 
more, Md. 

Prof.  Jacob  H.  Hollander,  President  of  Conference,  Baltimore,  Md, 

Louis  H.  Levin,  Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Jessica  B.  Peixotto,  University  of  California,  Berkeley,  Cal. 

Dr.  Isaac  Sernoffsky,  Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Cecil  B.  Wiener,  Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Dr.  David  Blaustein,  Chicago,  111. 

Louis  M.  Calm,  Jewish  Aid  Society,  Chicago,  111. 

Saul  Drucker,  Mark  Nathan  Jewish  Orphan  Home,  Chicago,  111. 

Rabbi  J.  Feuerlicht,  Home  for  Jewish  Friendless,  Chicago,  111. 

Miss  Rebecca  L.  Hefter,  Chicago  Women's  Aid,  Chicago,  111. 

Ernestine  Heller,  Maxwell  Settlement,  Chicago,  111. 

G.  Hochstadter,  Jewish  Aid  Society,  Chicago,  111. 

Miriam  Kalisky,  Jewish  Aid  Society,  Chicago,  111. 

Nathan  D.  Kaplan,  Chicago,  111. 

Minnie  F.  Low,  Bureau  of  Personal  Service,  Chicago,  111. 

Judge  Julian  W.  Mack,  Associated  Jewish  Charities,  Chicago,  111. 

Mrs.  J.  B.  Malkes,  West  Side  Ladies'  Charity  Society,  Chicago,  111. 

Jennie  Mandel,  Jewish  Home  Finding  Society  of  Chicago, 
Chicago,  111. 

Mrs.  I.  J.  Robbin,  Jewish  Consumptive  Relief  Society  of  Chicago, 
Chicago,  111. 

Luba  J.  Robbin,  Juvenile  Court,  Chicago,  111. 

*  The  Register  of  Delegates  is  arranged  alphabetically  according  to  city 


20  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

Corinne  Rosenfeld,  Associated  Jewish  Charities,  Chicago,  111. 
Hattie  Rosenstock,  Bureau  of  Personal  Service,  Chicago,  111. 
Julius  Rosenwald,  Associated  Jewish  Charities,  Chicago,  111. 
Mrs.  Henry  Solomon,  Jewish  Aid  Society,  Chicago,  111. 
Solomon  L.  Sulzberger,  Jewish  Aid  Society,  Chicago,  111. 
Francis  Taussig,  Jewish  Aid  Society,  Chicago,  111. 
Dr.  Boris  D.  Bogen,  United  Hebrew  Charities,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Mrs.  Samuel  Fletsher,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Simon  Kuhn,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Louis  D.  Marks,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Max  Senior,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Rabbi  M.  J.  Gries,  Federation  of  Jewish  Charities,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Martin  A.  Marks,  Federation  of  Jewish  Charities,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Alex.  S.  Newman,  Hebrew  Relief  Association,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Dr.  S.  Wolfenstein,  Cleveland  Orphan  Asylum,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Meyer  Friedman,  Denver  Sheltering  Home  for  Jewish  Children, 

Denver,  Col. 

Mrs.  M.  Friedman,  Jewish  Relief  Society,  Denver,  Col. 
Bruno  Grosser,  National  Jewish  Hospital,  Denver,  Col. 
Dr.  C.  D.  Spivak,  Jewish  Consumptive  Relief  Society,  Denver,  Col. 
Mrs.  S.  Davidson,  Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Des  Moines,  la. 
Mrs.  S.  Levinson,  Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Des  Moines,  la. 
Rabbi  E.  Mannheimer,  Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Des  Moines,  la. 
Samuel  Weinstock,  Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Des  Moines,  la. 
Mrs.  Samuel  Weinstock,  Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Des  Moines, 

la. 

Fred.  M.  Butzel,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Detroit,  Mich. 
Bernard  Ginsberg,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Detroit,  Mich. 
Blanche  J.  Hart,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Detroit,  Mich. 
Mrs.  Emma  Eckhouse,  Council  of  Jewish  Women,  Indianapolis, 

Ind. 

Samuel  B.  Kaufman,  Jewish  Federation,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 
Alfred  Benjamin,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
David  Benjamin,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Jacob  A.  Billikopf,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
R.  S.  Crohn,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Julius  Davidson,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  21 

A.  C.  Wormser,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Garfield  A.  Berlinsky,  Federation  of  Jewish  Charities,  Louisville, 

Ky. 
Rabbi  H.  G.  Enelow,  Federation  of  Jewish  Charities,  Louisville, 

Ky. 

Edward  Grauman,  Federation  of  Jewish  Charities,  Louisville,  Ky. 
Mrs.  E.  S.  Tachau,  Federation  of  Jewish  Charities,  Louisville,  Ky. 
E.  S.  Tachau,  Federation  of  Jewish  Charities,  Louisville,  Ky. 
Emil  Nathan,  United  Hebrew  Relief  Association,  Memphis,  Tenn. 
Rev.  Dr.  M.  Samfield,  United  Hebrew  Relief  Association,  Memphis, 

Tenn. 

Stella  A.  Loeb,  The  Settlement,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 
Samuel  Rabinovitch,  Hebrew  Relief  Association,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 
J.  H.  Rubin,  Remedial  Loan  Society,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 
Jonas  Weil,  Associated  Jewish  Charities,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 
Armand  Wyle,  Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum,  Newark,  N.  J. 
Rabbi   I.   L.   Leucht,    Touro   Infirmary   and   Hebrew   Benevolent 

Association,  New  Orleans,  La. 

Chester  Jacob  Teller,  Jewish  Orphan  Asylum,  New  Orleans,  La. 
Jacob  Bashein,  Hebrew  Sheltering  Guardian  Society,  New  York, 

N.  Y. 

David  M.  Bressler,  Industrial  Removal  Office,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Sidney  E.  Goldstein,  Free  Synagogue,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Prof.  H.  L.  Sabsovich,  Baron  de  Hirsch  Fund,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Henry  Solomon,  Hebrew  Sheltering  Guardian  Society,  New  York. 

N.  Y. 

Cyrus  L.  Sulzberger,  United  Jewish  Charities,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Benjamin  Tuska,  Educational  Alliance,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Morris  D.  Waldman,  United  Hebrew  Charities,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Falk  Younker,  Young  Men's  Hebrew  Association,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Mrs.  M.  H.  Coffee,  Daughters  of  Israel  Relief  Society,  Oakland, 

Cal. 

Samuel  S.  Fleischer,  Jewish  Foster  Home,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Max  Herzberg,  United  Hebrew  Charities,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Rabbi   Ephraim   Frisch,   Hebrew  Relief   Association,    Pine   Bluff, 

Ark. 
Mrs.  Louis  Bigelow,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 


22  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

Mrs.  Max  Landsberg,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Rabbi  Max  Landsberg,  Jewish  Orphan  Asylum,  Western    N.  Y., 
Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Mrs.  L.  W.  Wortsman,  Ladies'  Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Savan- 
nah, Ga. 

Henry  Mauser,  Civic  Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Mrs.  Henry  Mauser,  Civic  Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum,  San  Francisco, 
Cal. 

Mrs.  J.  R.  Cohen,  Hebrew  Ladies'  Relief  Society,  Scranton,  Pa. 

Dr.  Louis  Bernstein,  St.  Joseph,  Mo. 

Benjamin  Altheimer,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable 
Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Evelyn  Bauman,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Montefiore  Biennenstock,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Mrs.  H.  M.  Burgheim,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable 
Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Mrs.  Emil  Caro,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Mrs.    Albert   Cohn,   United   Jewish   Educational   and   Charitable 
Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Mrs.  Henrietta  Cook,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable 
Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

A.  C.  Einstein,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Miss  Regina  Fischell,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable 
Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Margaret  Fleischman,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable 
Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Moses   Fraley,    Jewish    Educational   and    Charitable    Union,    St. 
Louis,  Mo. 

August   Frank,   Jewish   Educational   and   Charitable   Union,   St. 
Louis,  Mo. 

Mrs.  S.  H.  Frohlichstein,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Chari- 
table Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

S.   H.   Frohlichstein,  United   Educational   and   Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  23 

Jacob  Furth,  Cleveland  Orphan  Asylum,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Mrs.  L.  Godlove,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Mrs.  S.  D.  Goldman,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable 

Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Bernard  Greensf elder,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable 

Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Dr.  Alex.  Earle  Horwitz,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Chari- 
table Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Mrs.  J.  L.  Isaacs,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Cordia  Jenks,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Mrs.  Ernest  Jonas,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Max  Kahn,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Association, 

St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Babette  Kahn,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Mrs.  Kebecca  Kahn,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable 

Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Flora  Kober,  United  Jewish  Educational  and   Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Mrs.  L.  Krieger,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Leah  Levy,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Association, 

St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Dr.  G.  Lippman,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Arnold  Loewenstein,  Y.  M.  H.  A.,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Mrs.  S.  C.  Lowenstein,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable 

Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Mrs.  Jacob  'Mange,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Mrs.  J.  Marks,  Jewish  Day  Nursery,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Emil   Mayer,   United  Jewish   Educational  and   Charitable   Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Kabbi  H.  J.  Messing,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable 

Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Mrs.  J.  Michaels,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


24  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

Elias  Michaels,  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Union,  St. 
Louis,  Mo. 

Mrs.  Elias  Michaels,  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Union, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Jeanette  Keis,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Mrs.  L.  P.  Kothschild,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable 
Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

S.  Russack,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Association, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Rabbi  Samuel  Sale,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable 
Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Mrs.  M.  N.  Sale,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Dr.  H.  J.  Scheick,  Jewish  Hospital  Dispensary.  St.  Louis.  Mo. 

Mr.  S.  W.  Schroeder,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Philip  L.  Seman,  Supt.,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Chari- 
table Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Dr.  M.  Silber,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Mrs.  Fannie  Solomon,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable 
Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Sidney  W.  Solomon,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable 
Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Wm.  Stix,  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Union,  St.  Louis, 
Mo. 

Chas.  A.  Stix,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Mrs.  Chas.  A.  Stix,  Selma  Michael  Day  Nursery,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Chas.  H.  Stix,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Miss  Ray  Suss,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Mrs.  Meier  Swope,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable 
Association,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Aaron  Waldheim,  United  Jewish  Educational  and  Charitable  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Mrs.  Jacob  Wirth,  Jewish  Relief  Society,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Mrs.  M.  A.  Bell,  Toronto,  Canada. 


Program 


Opening  Session,  Tuesday  Evening,  May  17,  8  o'clock. 

Prayer,  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Sale;  Address  of  Welcome,  Hon.  Ellas 
Michael;  Presidential  Address,  Professor  J.  H.  Hollander; 
Report  of  Transportation  Committee,  Judge  Julian  W. 
Mack;  Report  of  Secretary,  Louis  H.  Levin;  Prayer,  Rev. 
Dr.  Leon  Harrison. 

Reception  at  the  Columbian  Club. 


Morning  Session,   Wednesday,   May   18,   10  o'clock. 

Subject — DESERTION  . 
Reporter,  Morris  D.  Waldrnan,  New  York. 

Discussion  by — Max  Senior,  Cincinnati;  Benjamin  Tuska,  New 
York;  A.  S.  Newman,  Cleveland. 

Open  Discussion. 

Round  Table  Discussion  of  Topics  suggested  by  Delegates. 

Lunch  at  the  Columbian  Club. 

Afternoon  Session,  Wednesday,  May  18,  2.-30  o'clock. 

Subject — REMOVAL  WORK,   INCLUDING  GALVESTON. 

Reporter,  David  M.  Bressler,  New  York. 

Discussion  by — Cyrus  L.  Sulzberger,  New  York;  Jonas  Weil, 
Minneapolis;  Rev.  E'phraim  Frisch,  Pine  Bluff;  Jacob 
Billikopf,  Kansas  City. 

Open  Discussion. 


26  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

Evening  Session,  Wednesday,  May  18,  8  o'clock. 

Subject — LEGAL  AID. 
Reporter,  Minnie  F.  Low,  Chicago,  111. 
Discussion  by — Max  B.  May,  Bernard  Greensfelder. 
Open  Discussion. 

Report  of  Treasurer;  Report  of  Committee  on  Resolutions;  Report 
of  Committee  on  Nominations;  Election  of  Officers;  New 
Business. 


Program  of  the  Section  of  Jewish  Social  Workers 


Morning  Session,  Thursday,  May  19,  10  o'clock. 

Chairman — Dr.  S.  Wolfenstein, 
Supt.  Jewish  Orphan  Asylum  of  Cleveland. 

First  Paper — "A  Special  Study  of  the  Problem  of  Boarding  Out 
Jewish  Children  and  of  Pensioning  Widowed 
Mothers/' 

A  joint  report  compiled  by — Mr.  Solomon  Lowenstein,  Hebrew 
Orphan  Asylum,  New  York;  Mr.  Morris  D.  Waldman, 
United  Hebrew  Charities,  New  York;  Dr.  L.  B.  Bernstein, 
Hebrew  Sheltering  Guardian  Society,  New  York. 

Discussed  by — Dr.  S.  Wolfenstein,  Jewish  Orphan  Asylum,  Cleve- 
land; Mr.  Henry  Mauser,  Pacific  Jewish  Orphan  Asylum, 
San  Francisco;  Mr.  A.  Wyle,  Jewish  Orphan  Asylum, 
Newark,  N.  J. 

Second  Paper — "Special  Education  for  Jewish  Dependent  Chil- 
dren, with  Particular  Reference  to  Technical 
and  Industrial  Training." 

Paper  by — Mr.  Chester  J.  Teller,  Jewish  Orphan  Asylum,  New 
Orleans. 


NATIONAL   CONFEEENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  27 

Discussed  by — Professor  H.  L.  Sabsovich,  Baron  de  Hirsch  Fund, 
New  York;  Mr.  Henry  Woolf,  Leopold  Morse  Home  and 
Orphanage,  Mattapan,  Mass. 

Open  Discussion. 

Lunch  at  the  Columbian  Club. 

Afternoon  Session,  Thursday,  May  19,  2.30  o'clock. 

Chairman — Miss    Cecil   Wiener, 
Supt.  of  Federated  Jewish  Charities  of  Buffalo,  1ST.  Y. 

First  Paper — "The  Eelation  Between  the  Social  Worker  and  His 
Organization." 

Paper  by — Dr.  Boris  D.  Bogen,  United  Jewish  Charities,  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio. 

Discussed  by — Mr.  Montefiore  Bienenstock,  Jewish  Charitable  and 
Educational  Union,  St.  Louis;  Dr.  David  Blaustein,  He- 
brew Institute,  Chicago,  111. 

Second  Paper — "Social  Work  as  a  Profession." 

Paper  by — Mr.  Louis  H.  Levin,  Federated  Jewish  Charities, 
Baltimore,  Md. 

Discussed  by — Eabbi  Sidney  E.  Goldstein,  Social  Service  Depart- 
ment, Free  Synagogue,  New  York;  Mr.  Philip  Seman, 
Educational  Alliance,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Open  Discussion. 

Business  Session  of  Section. 

Evening  Session,  Thursday,  May  19,  10  o'clock. 

Gridiron  Meeting. 
Chairman — Mr.  Morris  D.  Waldman. 

Purpose — To  Promote  Good  Will,  Friendship  and  a  Better  Under- 
standing Among  the  Social  Workers. 


Proceedings 


Tuesday,  May  17,  1910. 

The  Sixth  Biennial  Session  of  the  National  Conference  of 
Jewish  Charities  held  its  first  meeting,  Tuesday  evening,  May  17, 
1910,  in  the  hall  of  the  Columbian  Club  of  St.  Louis,  President 
Hollander  in  the  chair. 

PRESIDENT  HOLLANDER:     The  meeting  will  please  be  in  order. 

PRAYER. 

KABBI  SAMUEL  SALE,  St.  Louis:  All-merciful  and  most- 
gracious  Father,  we  ask  Thy  blessing  and  implore  Thy  guidance 
in  all  the  tasks  and  toils  of  our  earthly  pilgrimage.  Be  with 
us  now  in  this  solemn  and  sacred  convocation,  when  Thy  servants 
are  assembled  to  do  Thy  bidding,  to  hearken  to  Thy  voice,  calling 
us  to  worship  Thee  in  the  service  of  humanity.  Oh,  kindle,  we 
pray  Thee,  in  the  hearts  of  our  generation  the  altar-flame  of 
devotion  to  that  ancient  faith  of  our  fathers,  whose  imperishable 
ideals  of  justice,  righteousness  and  love  are  being  impressed  deeper 
and  deeper  upon  the  consciousness  of  enlightened  mankind;  make 
us  deeply  sensible  of  those  obligations  that  rest  upon  us  as  children 
of  the  house,  which  in  Thy  promise  is  destined  tc  become  a  house 
of  prayer  for  all  peoples,  and  as  the  disciples  of  the  prophets  who 
were  the  first  to  proclaim  these  exalted  truths.  We  ask  Thee  to 
strengthen  us  that  we  may  heed  the  message  of  Thine  ancient 
servants,  speaking  to  us  now  more  fervently  than  ever  before  of 
the  sacred  inheritance,  which  mankind,  as  our  kith  and  kin,  must 
some  day  come  to  share  with  us,  and  that,  as  a  part  of  our  daily 
lives  and  worship,  we  may  practise  its  lessons,  to  loose  the  shackles 
of  iniquity,  to  undo  the  bonds  of  injustice,  to  let  the  oppressed  go 
free,  to  break  our  bread  to  the  hungry,  and  bring  the  groaning 
poor  into  the  comfort  and  shelter  of  our  own  homes,  to  be  eyes  to 
the  blind  and  hands  and  feet  to  the  halt  and  the  lame.  May  Thy 
spirit  prevail  in  all  our  deliberations;  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  29 

understanding,  the  spirit  of  counsel  and  strength,  the  spirit  of 
knowledge  and  the  fear  of  Thee.  And  now  may  the  beauty  of  the 
Lord  our  God  be  upon  us,  and  may  He  establish  the  work  of  our 
hands.  Amen ! 

ADDRESS   OF   WELCOME. 

The  address  of  welcome  was  then  delivered  by  the  Hon.  Elias 
Michael  of  St.  Louis. 

HON.  ELIAS  MICHAEL,  St.  Louis :  It  is  a  privilege  and  a 
pleasure  to  welcome  you  and  bring  to  you  a  message  of 
cordial  greeting  from  the  citizens  of  St.  Louis,  whom  you 
have  honored  by  selecting  their  city  for  this  year's  meeting. 
The  cause  which  brings  you  together  is  one  of  self-sacrifice. 
You  have  come  from  far  and  near,  without  regard  to  the 
urgent  calls  of  your  own  affairs,  to  confer  and  learn  from  each 
other's  experiences  how  to  better  grapple  with  the  many  problems 
presented  by  those  unfortunates  who,  through  stress  of  circum- 
stances, look  to  others  for  help.  And  there  is  no  service  like  his 
that  serves  because  he  loves. 

We  have  our  Doctors  of  Divinity,  Doctors  of  Law,  Doctors  of 
Medicine,  of  Philosophy,  all  the  arts  and  sciences,  honors  and 
degrees  for  the  learned  in  almost  every  direction  of  human  wis- 
dom and  endeavor.  We  are  now  beginning  to  recognize  that  the 
greatest  study  of  all  is  human  nature.  Sociology  has  become  one 
of  the  foremost  sciences  of  the  day.  Formerly  fevers  and  other 
ills  were  treated  by  cupping  and  leeching.  We  took  from  those 
we  sought  to  help  their  life's  blood.  If  the  patient  survived  it 
was  because  of  a  constitution  that  withstood  the  sapping  away  of 
his  vitality  and  strength.  The  treatment  of  the  poor  and  im- 
provident has  changed  as  greatly  as  the  treatment  of  the  sick. 
Ameliorating  the  condition  of  the  poverty-stricken  is  not  to  weaken, 
but  to  invigorate.  The  almoner  who  doles  out  with  a  callous 
hand  and  unsympathetic  heart  and  shrivels  and  destroys  manhood 
and  self-respect  has  given  way  to  the  trained  philanthropist,  whose 
trend  of  thought  is  how  to  minimize  and  prevent  pauperism  and 
its  debasing  consequences.  To  instil  hope  that  the  future  has 
something  in  it  to  live  for  and  aspire  to. 


30  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

The  fundamental  purpose  of  philanthropy  is  the  conservation 
of  the  resources  of  human  beings,  to  assist  those  who  are  groping 
in  the  dark,  or,  owing  to  economic  conditions,  or  to  their  physical, 
moral  or  mental  feebleness,  are  losing  their  hold  in  the  struggle 
for  existence. 

Our  government  is  giving  much  thought  and  expending  vast 
sums  for  the  conservation  of  the  material  resources  of  the  country, 
but  leaves  to  individual  effort,  and  to  organizations  like  yours, 
the  greatest  of  its  most  valuable  assets,  its  human  beings,  those 
who,  but  for  you,  would  suffer  the  tortures  of  despair  and  become 
embittered  against  all  society.  You  hold  that  the  unfortunate, 
instead  of  being  treated  as  blameworthy  outcasts,  are  entitled  to 
our  deep  sympathy.  You  recognize  not  alone  physical  needs,  but 
also  opportunity  for  development,  encouragement  of  thrift,  and 
the  instilling  of  ambition  for  nobler  and  better  things. 

Eeligion  is  advancing,  and  has  taken  on  a  new  direction.  The 
singing  of  psalms  and  the  observance  of  ceremonials  do  not  so 
strongly  appeal  to  those  who  have  learned  there  is  a  great  joy  in 
serving  our  fellow-man,  and  that  personal  sacrifice  has  in  its 
practice  a  greater  elation  of  heart  and  mind  than  the  preaching 
of  dogma.  Formerly  we  gave  alms  as  a  saving  grace.  Now  we 
recognize  our  responsibility  for  our  fellow-man  as  a  duty,  and  we 
feel  we  must  give  of  ourselves  to  help  others. 

Eoosevelt  in  a  recent  address  said:  "The  average  citizen  must 
be  a  good  citizen  if  our  republics  are  to  succeed,"  and  you  aim  to 
raise  the  level  of  our  average  citizenship  and  so  strengthen  our 
body  politic.  Your  conferences  have  developed  a  broader  con- 
ception of  the  responsibilities  confronting  modern  society.  You 
demonstrate  that  mind,  morals  and  physical  welfare  are  responsive 
to  sympathy  and  devotion,  and  that  as  long  as  the  divine  flame 
of  a  wish  for  better  things  exists  in  the  human  breast  there  is  a 
hope  for  all  living  beings,  no  matter  to  what  depths  they  may  have 
fallen,  or  to  what  extent  their  sufferings  have  undermined  their 
power  of  recuperation.  And  as  you  work  out  a  successful  treat- 
ment for  specific  cases  yon  also  establish  a  standard  to  benefit 
generations  to  come. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  31 

Some  of  the  questions  that  confront  you  are  owing  to  persecu- 
tion and  prejudice  peculiar  to  our  co-religionists.  You  have  to 
contend  with  the  ignorance  of  our  customs,  institutions  and  laws, 
and,  in  addition  to  the  questions  of  poverty,  morality  and  disease, 
you  also  have  the  great  and  serious  questions  of  socialism  and 
citizenship  to  take  into  consideration.  Modern  democracy  and 
modern  conception  have  given  to  Jewish  philanthropy  many  new 
functions  of  vital  importance,  and  the  responsibility  for  our  fellow- 
man  does  not  end  with  care  for  his  physical  comfort,  but,  owing 
to  race  and  religion,  we  are  made  responsible  for  his  standing  as 
a  citizen. 

The  greatest  minds  of  our  day  preach  service  to  our  fellow-man, 
good  will,  love  and  sympathy  for  all  human  beings,  as  the  religion 
of  the  future.  You,  men  and  women,  who  are  giving  yourselves 
to  that  great  work,  must  feel  like  the  High  Priests  of  old,  that 
yours  is  truly  a  sacred  calling.  May  your  ministrations  bring  light 
to  dark  places  and  radiate  happiness  and  contentment  where  misery 
and  want  abound.  You  are  busy  people  devoted  to  your  cause 
and  imbued  with  a  keen  desire  to  advance  the  good  work  in  which 
you  are  engaged.  In  your  devotion  you  have  taken  from  our 
citizens  the  privilege  they  craved  of  extending  certain  courtesies. 
Your  officers  have  seen  fit  to  curtail  the  program  we  laid 
out  for  your  entertainment,  which  is  only  another  evidence  of  your 
intense  zeal  and  devotion  to  the  work  which  brings  you  here. 
The  consciousness  of  work  well  done  must  be  a  great  comfort  to 
you.  If  you  needed  any  assurance  that  your  efforts  are  appreciated 
look  to  the  great  and  ready  response  to  your  calls  for  support. 
Never  in  the  history  of  the  world  has  there  been  such  a  wave  of 
generous  and  hearty  giving  as  in  recent  giving,  and  this  must  be 
in  a  large  degree  due  to  the  knowledge  that  the  supplies  are  well 
dispensed. 

I  know  I  voice  the  sentiment  of  every  St.  Louisan  in  saying 
that  we  are  proud  of  your  selection. 

We  welcome  you  with  an  open  heart  and  earnest  wishes  that 
your  stay  may  be  pleasant,  and  that  an  all-wise  Providence  may 
guide  your  deliberations  so  that  your  conclusions  will  bear  good 
fruit  and  humanity  in  ages  to  come  will  call  blessings  upon  you. 


32  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

The  presidential  address  was  then  delivered  by  the  President, 
Professor  J.  H.  Hollander  (Baltimore). 

PRESIDENTIAL  ADDRESS. 

The  ordinary  purpose  of  a  president's  address  to  an  assembled 
membership  is  to  review  the  notable  occurrences  transpiring  in 
the  field  with  which  those  to  whom  it  is  addressed  are  concerned, 
during  the  interval  elapsing  since  the  preceding  meeting. 

If  I  depart  somewhat  from  this  practice,  so  happily  exemplified 
in  the  deliverances  of  my  distinguished  predecessors,  it  is  in  no 
underestimate  of  what  has  happened  since  we  were  assembled  in 
Richmond  two  years  ago.  A  more  imperious  summons  to  social 
betterment,  a  larger  response  in  service  and  resource,  a  greater 
efficiency  in  purpose  and  method — these  are  but  some  of  the 
notable  achievements  of  the  term  just  ended. 

It  has  seemed  to  me,  however,  that  at  this  Sixth  Biennial  Con- 
ference, marking  as  it  does  a  decade  of  existence,  an  independent 
course  might  be  taken,  and  that  instead  of  reviewing  actual  per- 
formance I  might  indulge  in  wider  range,  taking  account  in  retro- 
spect, in  survey  and  forecast,  not  so  much  of  facts  and  events,  but 
of  forces  and  tendencies. 

Looking  back  in  this  spirit  upon  the  progress  of  charitable  effort, 
and  peculiarly  of  Jewish  charitable  effort  within  the  ten  years  of 
the  Conference's  life,  one  cannot  fail  to  be  sensible  of  a  great 
change  that  has  come  about.  Different  things  are  being  done — 
they  are  being  done  in  a  different  manner  and  a  different  class  of 
people  are  engaged  in  doing  them.  I  can  sum  up  the  transforma- 
tion— for  it  is  hardly  less — in  no  better  way  than  by  saying  that 
charity  has  tended  to  become  less  benevolent  and  more  beneficent — 
there  is  less  well-wishing  and  there  is  very  much  more  well-doing. 

This  is  as  it  should  be.  A  commonplace  of  social  philosophy  de- 
scribes human  improvements  as  the  progress  of  rationalism.  Other 
forces  have  large  play — environment,  native  endowment,  religious 
and  ethical  ideals — but,  in  the  main,  societies  have  advanced  to 
enlightenment  and  altruism  at  even  pace  with  the  arrest  of  impulse 
by  thought  and  the  domination  of  emotion  by  reasoned  judgment. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  33 

From  the  very  nature  of  things  the  field  of  social  betterment 
has  been  late  in  feeling  this  new  control.  It  was  almost  yesterday 
that  one  spoke  of  charity  and  reason  as  of  things  as  much  opposed 
as  feeling  and  thought,  faith  and  demonstration. 

But,  more  and  more,  those  who  have  been  concerned  with  the 
work,  and  even  the  larger  number  who  inspire  and  support  it, 
have  realized  that  social  effort — the  endeavor  to  improve  the 
material  well-being  of  fellow-men — is  subject  to  the  same  laws 
and  must  pursue  the  same  methods  that  guide  wisely  expended 
energy  in  other  directions.  Any  other  course  is  waste  and  mis- 
direction, at  best  failing  to  realize  maximum  efficiency,  at  worst 
doing  irrefutable  injury  to  subject  and  agent. 

It  is  this  which  we  mean  in  speaking  of  philanthropy  having 
become  scientific,  and  of  social  endeavor  grown  rationalized.  I  use 
the  terms  "scientific"  and  "rational,"  but  all  that  they  imply  is 
quite  as  well  expressed  by  the  homelier  term  "common  sense." 
Charitable  activity  within  the  last  ten  years  has  simply  become 
more  sane  and  intelligent.  The  dominant  sense  of  the  community 
has  inclined  less  and  less  to  regard  misery  and  suffering  with  a 
placid  fatalism  as  final  conditions,  which  we  would  always  have 
with  us  and  as  to  which  remedial  effort  is  but  a  semi-emotional 
indulgence  dictated  by  religious  impulse  and  rewarded  by  con- 
scious self-approval.  But,  instead,  poverty  has  come  to  be  in- 
creasingly understood  as  a  social  disorder — as  definite  as  alcoholism 
or  anaemia,  due  to  specific  conditions  and  influences,  which  may  be 
traced  with  the  precision  and  accuracy  of  a  pathological  diagnosis, 
and  which  impose  upon  the  charity  giver  the  responsibility  of 
making  or  of  profiting  by  this  inquiry  as  the  precedent  to  his  act. 

Out  of  this  general  change  in  spirit  have  grown  the  character- 
istic features  of  present-day  philanthropy — organization,  federa- 
tion, expert  training,  case  investigation,  preventive  work  and  per- 
sonal service. 

Some  of  this  has  to  do  merely  with  externals,  and  here  there 
is  little  room  for  difference  of  opinion.  No  hard-headed  man  of 
affairs  will,  for  a  moment,  contend  that  a  charitable  organization — 
hospital,  orphan  asylum,  or  relief  society — should  not  be  officered 
by  a  personnel  as  efficient  as  the  working  force  of  his  own  countin^- 


34  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

room  or  factory.  Be  the  work  what  it  may,  some  one  is  better 
suited  for  its  performance  than  some  other,  and  effective  organiza- 
tion means  simply  that  the  selection  of  presidents,  of  secretaries 
and  of  directive  boards  should  be  upon  the  basis  of  peculiar  fitness 
and  distinctive  ability,  instead  of  communal  honor  or  genteel 
pensioning. 

So  in  the  matter  of  federation.  Instead  of  a  dozen  independent 
organizations  competing  for  patrons  and  clients,  wearing  out  the 
resources  of  the  community  with  indifferent  results,  the  application 
of  sound  business  principles  has  established  a  federated  working 
body,  assessing  upon  the  community  the  cost  of  its  social  burdens 
with  directness  and  economy,  husbanding  the  resources  thus  de- 
rived and  exercising  in  the  name  of  the  collective  interest  a 
rational  sway  over  individual  efforts  in  a  manner  that  means 
guidance  without  interference. 

But  it  is  in  the  inner  content  that  the  really  vital  change  in 
charitable  effort  has  come  about.  Any  man  of  affairs  would  scoff 
at  the  thought  that  there  could  be  anything  out  of  joint  in  his 
business  without  a  specific  cause  or  complex  of  causes  being 
responsible.  He  would  be  equally  clear  that  the  proper  course 
for  him  to  pursue  would  be  to  ascertain  just  what  was  causing 
the  trouble,  even  though  this  search  involved  effort,  time,  money 
and  expert  service.  He  would  do  nothing  whatever  except  perhaps 
to  apply  a  temporary  check  until  the  real  cause  had  been  disclosed, 
and  then  his  remedial  treatment  would  be  direct,  thoroughgoing 
and  effective. 

In  all  this  he  would  apply  to  his  business  the  methods  of  science, 
even  though  he  would,  perhaps,  like  the  prose-speaking  bourgeois 
of  Moliere's  comedy,  be  startled  and  dismayed  to  know  that  he 
was  doing  it,  for,  after  all,  scientific  method  is  nothing  more  than 
that  procedure  which  long  experience  and  repeated  trial  have 
established  as  the  quickest  and  surest  method  of  accomplishing 
desired  ends.  Its  essence  is  briefly  that  every  condition  is  due  to 
some  cause,  and  that,  therefore,  to  remedy  the  condition,  first 
ascertain  the  cause  and  thereafter  apply  the  appropriate  remedy. 
It  is  the  manner  in  which  the  modern  physician  studies  his  patient, 
makes  his  diagnosis  and  prescribes  a  curative,  instead  of  letting 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  35 

blood  on  general  principles  as  he  would  a  few  generations  ago,  or 
burning  incense  to  offended  fetishes  as  he  might  have  done  as 
many  thousand  years  before. 

To  assert  then  that  charitable  effort  has  within  the  last  decade 
become  increasingly  scientific  and  rationalized  has  in  it  nothing 
new  or  mysterious,  no  technical  apparatus  nor  complicated  termin- 
ology. It  is  simply  to  reiterate  that  a  very  much  larger  proportion 
than  ever  before  of  the  persons  who  feel  the  impulse  to  philan- 
thropic effort  act  on  the  principle  that  every  claimant  for  relief, 
every  case  of  dependence,  every  occasion  for  social  betterment 
is  what  it  is  in  consequence  of  certain  definite  conditions,  and 
that  it  is  appropriate  and  necessary  to  ascertain  with  precision  what 
is  the  particular  cause  in  question  and  to  administer  treatment  in 
the  light  of  this  discovery. 

I  realize,  of  course,  that  everything  I  have  said  has  the  familiarity 
almost  of  a  social  platitude,  but  this  very  fact  is  perhaps  the  most 
convincing  evidence  of  what  I  am  trying  to  suggest,  namely,  the 
tremendous  progress  of  the  past  decade,  whereby  so  essentially 
modern  a  concept  as  this  scientific  or  common-sense  view  of  philan- 
thropy has  already  the  hackneyed  intimacy  of  an  economic  com- 
monplace. 

Of  course,  much  more  than  ten  j^ears  ago  the  claim  of  rational- 
ism in  philanthropy  was  heard,  but  the  advocacy  was  faint  and 
the  propaganda  unpopular.  There  was  still  much  of  the  old 
twaddle  that  a  man's  charity  was  a  matter  of  his  own  heart,  that 
he  ought  to  give  when,  where  and  to  whom  he  felt  he  ought,  and 
that  he  could  no  more  have  someone  else  do  this  for  him  than 
secure  a  substitute  in  religion  or  a  proxy  in  matrimony.  But  this 
stage  has  been  safely  left  behind  us.  No  one  today  seriously  main- 
tains that  he  can  righteously  warm  the  cockles  of  his  heart  by 
giving  relief  without  being  certain  that  it  is  relief,  any  more  than 
he  can  feed  quinine  pills  to  a  child  because  he  happens  to  have  a 
vial  in  his  pocket  and  the  tiny  pellets  appeal  to  the  infantile  eye. 

In  so  far  charity  has  passed  from  the  uncertainty  of  an  emotional 
impulse  and  attained  the  dignity  of  a  rational  judgment.  Benevo- 
lence continues  to  furnish  the  mainspring,  but  beneficence  guides 
the  course.  Philanthropy  moves  on  a  distinctly  higher  plane. 


36  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

Poverty  is  an  economic  consequence,  not  a  social  necessity — re- 
medial, even  preventable,  not  by  panacea  or  upheaval,  but  by  un- 
erring determination  of  causes  and  devoted  application  of  cor- 
rectives. 

An  inspiring  vista  thus  stands  revealed  to  those  who  love  man- 
kind, and  will  labor  for  its  betterment.  Not  by  prayer  shall 
misery  and  suffering  cease,  but  by  work  through  truth.  First, 
"why" — then,  "how."  Here  indeed  the  knowledge  that  is  power — 
the  truth  that  will  set  men  free. 

In  this  decade  of  notable  progress  Jewish  philanthropy  has 
taken  a  creditable  part.  Its  velocity,  if  I  may  use  the  analogy  to 
suggest  relative  improvement,  has  been,  if  anything,  greater  than 
that  of  non-Jewish  effort,  and,  considered  absolutely,  it  has  effected 
substantial  social  gains.  Indeed,  in  matters  of  organization  and 
administration  we  have  led  the  van  by  a  gratifying  priority.  In 
my  own  community,  and  I  am  sure  the  example  has  its  counter- 
part in  many  other  cities,  a  distinct  fillip  has  been  given  to  the 
organization — administrative  and  fiscal — of  non-Jewish  charities 
by  the  really  notable  results  achieved  by  the  Jewish  organizations, 
through  the  application  of  skilled  intelligence  and  thoroughgoing 
business  methods. 

At  this  point  further  consideration  of  the  matter  is  met  by  a 
very  proper  challenge:  If  Jewish  philanthropy  forms  an  integral 
part  of  the  larger  movement  for  social  betterment,  why  should 
there  be  occasion  for  a  distinctive  study  by  Jews  of  Jewish  charity  ? 
What  is  the  warrant  for  the  existence  of  a  National  Conference 
of  Jewish  Charities  in  contradistinction  to  the  greater  body  that 
is  to  assemble  here  in  a  few  days?  Jewish  charity,  as  ordinarily 
understood,  means  the  administration  of  relief  largely  to  Jewish 
dependents,  of  resources  made  available  in  the  main  by  Jews,  and 
administered  through  the  agency  of  Jewish  workers.  Either  this 
segregated  discussion  is  a  phase  of  an  unwholesome  clannishness, 
or  the  charitable  problems  with  which  we,  as  Jews,  are  concerned 
are  in  many  respects  peculiar  and  distinctive. 

No  one  who  has  enjoyed,  as  most  of  us  have,  the  dual  experience 
of  participating  in  Jewish  charitable  activity,  on  the  one  hand, 
and  what  may,  for  convenience,  be  called  non- Jewish  movements 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  37 

of  parallel  intent,  on  the  other,  will  hesitate  for  a  moment  to 
assert  that  the  problems  of  Jewish  dependence  are,  and  for  a  long 
time  will  probably  continue  to  be,  different  in  their  most  important 
aspects,  not  merely  in  degree,  but  in  kind,  from  the  subject  matter 
of  general  philanthropy. 

It  is  not  merely  that  those  with  whom  our  work  lies  are  in  the 
main  alien  in  speech  and  in  nationality.  American  philanthropy 
is  too  largely  concerned  with  the  foreign-born  and  the  foreign- 
speaking  for  this  to  necessitate  independent  organization.  Nor  is 
difference  in  religion,  considered  as  a  doctrinal  faith,  sufficient 
warrant  for  our  separatist  attitude.  The  social  worker  rarely  finds 
embarrassment  in  the  fact  that  those  with  whom  he  is  engaged  are 
of  a  different  creed  from  his  own,  and  indeed  it  may  be  questioned 
whether  the  identity  of  religious  affiliation  does  not  more  often 
embarrass  than  aid  in  developing  in  the  mind  of  the  beneficiary  an 
expectation  of  a  special  dispensation. 

The  real  occasion  for  distinct  treatment  of  Jewish  dependents 
lies  in  the  historical  conditions  under  which  the  Jewish  type  has 
been  evolved  in  its  mental,  physical  and  moral  aspects. 

The  Jew,  and  particularly  the  Jew  who  claims  our  attention 
in  the  work  of  social  betterment,  is  the  product  of  a  distinctive 
environment.  He  has  grown  up  under  conditions  which  tended 
either  to  impair  his  physical  development  or  at  least  to  discourage 
its  improvement,  which  confined  his  economic  activities  largely  to 
parasitic  vocations;  which  hedged  him  in  a  communal  solidarity 
away  from  outer  contacts;  which  taught  him  to  regard  necessary 
relief  as  his  right,  and  to  tolerate  his  delinquencies  with  a 
good-natured  indulgence.  In  a  flash,  all  of  this  changed — a  strange 
entourage,  a  different  industrial  organization,  the  old  communal 
ties  dissolved — new  standards,  new  ideals,  new  sanctions. 

To  a  very  unusual  degree,  the  Jewish  dependent  is  thus  a  socio- 
economic  consequence.  Over  and  above  the  ordinary  influences 
responsible  for  social  problems  a  special  group  of  forces  have  been 
at  work  here. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  any  but  a  Jew  can  fully  understand,  and 
it  is  certain  that  none  but  a  Jew  can  adequately  appreciate  what 
these  forces  are  and  how  fundamental  their  effect.  I  sometimes 


38  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

think  "das  judische  Herz"  was  not  a  thing  of  the  heart,  but  of 
the  head — an  expression  less  of  a  warmer  pity  for  need  than  the 
outcome  of  a  clearer  conception  of  how  the  need  had  arisen. 

This  then  is  the  essential  need  for  a  distinct  ministration  of 
social  relief  to  Jews  by  Jews,  and  the  prime  warrant  for  an  in- 
dependent study  of  the  problem  in  all  its  phases  by  those  who  are 
immediately  concerned  therewith.  It  is  only  a  more  complete 
carrying  out  of  that  rational  tendency  which  has  brought  us  to 
where  we  now  are — full  determination  of  the  causes  of  distress 
and  application  of  the  most  appropriate  remedies  by  the  most 
efficient  agents.  Since  it  is  only  the  Jew  who  bj  virtue  of  subtle 
Gefiihl — historic  identity,  race  consciousness  or  religious  brother- 
hood— can  become  fully  cognizant  of  the  special  circumstances 
which  have  contributed  to  Jewish  dependence,  it  is  therefore 
primarily  the  Jew  who  should  assume  the  problem  of  Jewish  relief, 
and  in  anticipation  of  his  responsibility  should  deliberate  as  to 
procedure. 

But  in  all  this  an  independent  course?  is  not  a  separatist  one. 
The  Jewish  charity  worker  will  keep  in  touch  with  all  betterment 
work  in  the  general  social  field;  he  will  lend  his  counsels  to  their 
discussion,  and  he  will  avail  himself  in  his  own  work  of  the  con- 
clusions safely  reached.  But  he  will  not  stop  with  this.  His 
subject  matter  is  the  same  and  yet  more.  His  deliberations  will 
take  account  of  the  distinctive  elements  of  his  peculiar  clientele, 
and  his  practical  activities  will  represent  the  general  rules  of  action 
amended,  modified  or  supplemented  in  the  light  of  those  further 
considerations  which  he  is  obliged  to  entertain. 

So  pursued,  the  study  of  Jewish  philanthropy  may  be  expected 
to  give  us  increasingly  efficient  service.  But  is  it  too  much  to 
hope  that  an  even  larger  result  will  follow?  Just  as  the  work  of 
social  betterment  carried  on  by  Jews  among  Jews  has  felt  the 
stimulus  and  uplift  of  social  activity  in  the  general  field,  so  now 
in  turn  it  will  exert  a  reflex  action  and  bear  back  upon  non-Jewish 
charities  the  impress  of  its  distinctive  virtues.  I  have  already 
intimated  that  in  one  aspect  at  least — fiscal  and  administrative 
organization — such  a  contribution  had  been  made,  and  realized. 
But  surely  larger  things  are  yet  to  come!  From  the  beginning 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  39 

the  essence  of  Jewish  charity  has  been  the  improvement  of  one's 
fellow-men.  Like  civic  virtue  and  moral  decency,  charity  is  to  the 
Jew  an  integral  part  of  the  normal  life ;  not  a  thing  to  be  put  on 
or  put  off  at  will,  but  an  organic  phase  of  human  conduct.  If 
man  would  live  well  and  do  righteousness  he  must  see  to  it  that 
those  about  him  fail  not — in  so  far  as  he  can  prevent — in  at  least 
the  chance  to  attain  material  well-being.  The  conception  of  the 
man  who  gives  charity — and  gives  it  wisely,  for  otherwise  it  is  not 
charity — as  merely  the  righteous  man,  and  of  him  who  gives  it  not 
as  immoral — is  the  contribution  which  the  Jew  must  make  to  the 
world's  philanthropy. 

PRESIDENT  HOLLANDER:  We  are  signally  honored  by  the  pres- 
ence this  evening,  as  the  guest  of  the  Conference,  of  one  who  not 
by  office  and  rank  alone,  but  by  spiritual  force  and  intellectual 
equipment,  is  easily  chief  amongst  all  enlisted  in  the  cause  of 
social  improvement.  I  say  as  "the  guest  of  the  Conference,"  but 
surely,  if  sympathy  and  helpfulness  count  for  anything,  she  is 
not  only  with  us,  but  of  us.  I  esteem  it  the  greatest  privilege  to 
present  this  lady — whom  we,  whom  all  enlightened  mankind  re- 
joice to  honor,  citizen  of  no  one  commonwealth,  but  of  that  larger 
republic  whose  franchise  is  fellow-love  and  whose  goal  is  brother- 
hood— Miss  Jane  Addams. 

GREETINGS    FROM    NATIONAL    CONFERENCE    OF    CHARITIES    AND 
CORRECTIONS. 

Miss  JANE  ADDAMS,  Chicago:  It  gives  me  much  pleasure  to 
be  present  at  this  meeting  of  the  National  Conference  of  Jewish 
Charities  as  the  representative  of  the  National  Conference  of 
Charities  and  Corrections,  and  to  bring  the  greetings  of  that  body 
to  this  fine  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities. 

I  think  that  it  is  also  appropriate  that  the  National  Conference 
should  somewhat  officially  make  this  recognition,  because  anyone 
who  is  acquainted  with -the  progress  of  charities  and  philanthropic 
undertakings  realizes  how  much  they  owe  both  in  experimentation 
and  methods  of  organization  to  Jewish  Charities. 


40  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

Only  today  one  of  your  members  told  me  of  the  efforts  made 
in  Chicago  to  board  dependent  children  with  their  own  mothers, 
which  I  welcomed  as  a  pioneer  attempt  to  break  into  that  wretched 
delusion  that  a  woman  can  both  support  and  nurture  her  children. 

One  of  the  most  piteous  revelations  of  its  futility  came  to  me 
through  the  mother  of  "Goosie,"  as  the  children  for  years  called 
a  little  boy  who,  because  he  was  brought  to  the  Hull  House  nur- 
sery wrapped  up  in  his  mother's  shawl,  always  had  his  hair  filled 
with  the  down  and  small  feathers  from  the  feather  brush  factory 
where  she  worked.  One  March  morning,  Goosie's  mother  was 
hanging  out  the  washing  on  a  shed  roof  at  six  o'clock,  doing  it 
thus  early  before  she  left  for  the  factory.  Five-year-old  Goosie 
was  trotting  at  her  heels,  handing  her  clothespins,  when  he  was 
suddenly  blown  off  the  roof  by  the  high  wind  into  the  alley  below. 
His  neck  was  broken  by  the  fall  and,  as  he  lay  piteous  and  limp 
on  a  pile  of  frozen  refuse,  his  mother  cheerily  called  to  him  to 
"climb  up  again,"  so  confident  do  overworked  mothers  become  that 
their  children  cannot  get  hurt.  After  the  funeral,  as  the  poor 
mother  sat  in  the  nursery  postponing  the  moment  when  she  must 
go  back  to  her  empty  rooms,  I  asked  her,  in  a  futile  effort  to  be 
of  comfort,  if  there  was  anything  more  we  could  do  for  her.  The 
overworked,  sorrow-stricken  woman  looked  up  and,  with  unwonted 
energy  in  her  voice,  replied,  "If  you  could  give  me  my  wages  for 
tomorrow,  I  would  not  go  to  work  in  the  factory  at  all.  I  would 
like  to  stay  at  home  and  hold  the  baby.  Goosie  was  always  asking 
me  to  take  him  and  I  never  had  any  time."  This  statement  re- 
vealed the  condition  of  many  nursery  mothers  who  are  obliged  to 
forego  the  joys  and  solaces  which  are  supposed  to  belong  to  even 
the  most  poverty-stricken.  The  long  hours  of  factory  labor  neces- 
sary for  earning  the  support  of  a  child  leave  little  time  for  ca- 
ressing. 

With  all  the  efforts  made  by  modern  society  to  nurture  and 
educate  the  young,  how  stupid  it  is  to  permit  the  mothers  of  young 
children  to  spend  themselves  in  the  coarser  work  of  the  world! 
It  is  curiously  inconsistent  with  the  emphasis  which  this  genera- 
tion has  placed  upon  the  prolongation  of  infancy  that  we  con- 
stantly allow  the  waste  of  this  most  precious  material. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  41 

I  have  used  this  illustration,  which  comes  to  me  at  the  mo- 
ment, of  the  advanced  case  of  dependent  children,  because  it  is 
typical  of  the  wider  scope  which  this  movement  of  the  Jewish 
charities  represents  and  constantly  demonstrates  to  the  rest  of  it. 
With  equal  force  this  wider  scope  might  have  been  illustrated 
from  other  of  free  undertakings.  May  I  close  with  a  message  of 
congratulation  and  good  wishes  for  the  National  Body. 

REPORT    OF    COMMITTEE    ON    TRANSPORTATION. 

JUDGE  JULIAN  W.  MACK,  Chicago:  The  Committee  has  no 
formal  report  to  offer,  but  I  can  perhaps  say  something  briefly, 
something  on  the  general  subject. 

Professor  Hollander  has  given  us  in  his  splendid  address  a 
sound  philosophical  basis,  not  only  for  separate  Jewish  chairties, 
but  for  this  National  Conference  of  the  organizations. 

The  considerations  which  led  to  its  establishment,  however,  were 
of  a  more  practical  nature,  and  they  had  to  do  with  this  question 
of  transportation.  It  had  become  the  miserable  practice  of  many 
communities  to  get  rid  of  their  dependents  by  shipping  them 
elsewhere,  by  foisting  them  upon  other  communities,  upon  which 
they  had  no  claim;  and  even  this  was  not  done  in  a  half-way 
decent  manner,  because  it  was  a  little  too  expensive  to  send  the 
applicant  to  the  final  destination  that  he  or  she  wanted  to  reach, 
whether  justified  in  going  there  or  not.  So  one  community  would 
ship  the  family  a  hundred  miles  and  put  them  as  a  burden  on  that 
community,  and  the  second  would  pick  them  up  and  ship  them 
another  hundred  miles  and  drop  them  as  a  burden  on  the  third 
community,  and  so  on,  until  somehow  or  other  the  family  reached 
its  destination,  only  to  become  dependent  upon  the  last  com- 
munity. And  too  often  this  last  community  was  a  health  resort 
or  a  small  town  which  perhaps  had  few  Jewish  inhabitants,  but 
the  climate  was  favorable  to  disease,  and  too  often  the  misguided 
victims  of  this  so-called  charity  reached  their  destination  totally 
unfit,  totally  unable  to  be  cured  of  their  disease — there  only  to  die. 

The  result  was  an  injury  to  the  victims,  an  injury  to  the  other 
community,  the  impoverishment  of  every  city  that  indulged  in 


42  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

that  practice  for  the  benefit  of  the  railways.  The  prime  purpose 
of  this  organization  was  to  introduce  a  change,  to  bring  about  a 
spirit  of  co-operation,  and  to  the  end  to  formulate  regulations 
which  should  become  binding  upon  every  constituent  member  of 
the  National  Body,  and  which  would  prevent  a  continuance  of 
these  practices. 

The  fundamental  spirit  of  these  rules  was  that  no  inhabitant 
should  be  assisted  to  be  sent  to  some  other  city  unless  that  other 
city  ought  to  receive  him ;  unless  he  had  somebody  there  who  would 
be  responsible  for  him;  unless  work  was  at  hand  for  him  at  the 
city  of  his  destination.  If  he  was  a  dependent,  home  was  the 
place  wherein  he  ought  to  remain  during  dependency;  if,  however, 
the  home  city  believed  he  could  be  made  self -supporting  else- 
where, then  it  was  its  duty  not  to  make  him  a  burden  on  another 
community,  but  to  maintain  him  until  he  should  become  self- 
supporting. 

I  am  happy  to  report  that  the  spirit  of  those  regulations  has 
been  lived  up  to  in  such  a  splendid  manner  that  since  your  last 
Conference  but  six  cases  have  been  presented  for  arbitration  to 
this  committee. 

May  I  say  that  the  Committee  is  equally  happy  to  report  that 
its  conclusions  have  been  accepted  in  spite  of  the  threat  made  by 
some  cities  that  if  the  decision  went  against  them  they  would  feel 
it  incumbent  upon  them  to  withdraw  from  the  Conference? 

The  work  for  which  this  National  Conference  was  primarily 
created  will,  however,  not  be  completely  done  until  we  have  as 
members  of  the  Conference  every  Jewish  charitable  organization 
in  the  country. 

May  I  add  a  few  words  on  a  subject  somewhat  connected  with 
this  subject  of  transportation — the  subject  of  immigration.  I 
said  that  practical  considerations  had  brought  about  this  National 
Conference.  There  are  practical  considerations  as  well  as  the 
deeper  underlying  one  so  beautifully  set  forth  by  Professor  Hol- 
lander that  demand  the  continuation  of  Jewish  charities,  and  the 
principal  of  these  has  to  do  with  the  problem  of  immigration. 

It  is  not  only  a  Jewish  problem ;  it  is  a  great  American  problem, 
and  we  are  interested  in  it  not  only  as  Jews,  but  as  Americans. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  43 

It  is  one  of  the  most  important  problems  before  the  people.  Under 
President  Koosevelt,  a  commission  was  appointed  to  make  a  tho- 
rough study  of  immigration.  That  committee  has  been  at  work 
for  the  past  three  years  and  will  render  its  report  to  Congress 
probably  next  December.  During  this  time  many  efforts  have 
been  made  to  narrow  the  American  immigration  laws,  to  raise 
up  the  barrier  against  the  immigrant. 

Now  I  conceive  it  to  be  our  duty  to  confront  this  problem, 
thoughtfully,  from  the  standpoint  of  what  is  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  United  States.  Certainly  I  personally  am  convinced,  and 
no  one  who  will  read  the  report  of  the  hearing  before  the  House 
Committee  on  Immigration  on  the  llth  day  of  March  of  this 
year,  participated  in  by  prominent  Jews — no  one,  I  say,  with  an 
open  mind  who  will  read  the  argument  that  these  men  made  but 
will  be  convinced  that  America  cannot  afford  to  lose  the  million 
or  more  immigrants  who  are  coming  here  each  year;  that  we  need 
the  immigrant,  as  we  have  always  needed  the  immigrant,  for  the 
development  and  the  good  of  this  country.  In  the  report  of  that 
hearing  you  will  find  completely  refuted  every  one  of  the  argu- 
ments that  are  being  brought  forward  by  the  restrictionists  in 
favor  of  raising  up  barriers  against  the  immigrant. 

Among  those  arguments  I  conceive  of  none  sounder  than  this : 
That  much  as  we  need  the  immigrant  for  the  material  and  economic 
development  of  this  country,  and  particularly  for  our  great  un- 
inhabited West,  still  more  do  we  need  particularly  that  class  of 
immigrant  in  which  we  as  Jews  are  primarily  interested — the 
victims  of  political  and  religious  prejudices.  For,  while  I  am 
firmly  convinced  that  no  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth  is  more 
full  of  real  fundamental  idealism  than  the  people  of  this  country, 
nevertheless,  much  as  we  need  the  material  value  that  the  immi- 
grant is  to  this  country,  still  more  do  we  and  every  other  nation 
need  that  tremendous  increased  idealism  that  is  brought  to  us 
by  the  men  and  the  women  who  are  ready  to  sacrifice  property 
and  liberty  and  life  itself  rather  than  give  up  their  religious  and 
political  principles.  It  is  for  these  people  particularly  that  we 
want  to  keep  the  barriers  down  and  the  gates  open.  And  how  can 


44  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

we  best  contribute  to  this  work,  a  work  which,  I  am  firmly  con- 
vinced, spells  increased  prosperity  and  happiness  for  our  country? 

One  of  the  dangers  that  confront  us  is  this:  The  immigrants, 
and  particularly  our  poor  Jewish  immigrants,  driven  out  of  their 
homes  in  Kussia  by  a  despot,  almost  crushed,  all  of  their  property 
taken  away  from  them,  come  here  empty-handed,  without  knowl- 
edge of  our  language,  without  knowledge  of  our  customs.  Of 
course,  many  of  them  in  the  beginning  are  dependent  and  need 
a  helping  hand.  The  danger  is  this,  however:  If  they  become 
a  burden  upon  the  general  community  so  as  to  cause  an  increase 
in  taxation  for  philanthropic  purposes,  many  and  many  a  man, 
feeling  the  pressure  on  his  pocket-book,  will  forget  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  American  liberty,  will  forget  the  great  amount 
of  good  these  immigrants  are  to  bring  us,  and,  remembering  only 
his  financial  loss,  will  raise  the  cry  which  finds  many  ready  fol- 
lowers: "Let's  keep  them  all  out!" 

Even  if  they  do  not  become  burdens  upon  the  tax  rates  of  the 
community  at  large,  even  if  they  become  burdens  upon  the  general 
Jewish  philanthropies,  this  feeling  will  be  aroused,  and  in  the 
arousing  of  it  there  is  danger  that  the  American  people  will  be 
misled. 

It  is  up  to  us,  as  Jews  and  as  Americans,  to  see  to  it  that  our 
people  do  not  cause  this  feeling  to  arise.  There  is  only  one  way 
in  which  we  can  do  it,  and  that  is  by  seeing  that  the  helping 
hand  that  they  may  need  is  extended  by  us,  and  that  we  open 
up  our  pocket-books  whenever  it  is  needed  to  keep  them  from  be- 
coming charges  upon  the  community. 

When  Jews  came  to  New  York  over  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years  ago,  the  obligation  was  legally  placed  upon  them  and  they 
gave  legal  pledges  that  their  people  should  not  become  a  burden 
upon  the  community.  That  legal  pledge  no  longer  exists.  Our 
immigrants  have  the  same  claim  on  the  humanity  of  America  as 
all  other  people.  But  we  owe  the  duty  not  only  to  them,  we  owe 
the  duty  to  ourselves  to  see  to  it  that  what  we  consider  right 
shall  prevail  in  this  country,  and  we  can  best  promote  this  by  keep- 
ing up  our  Jewish  philanthropies  for  the  benefit  primarily  of  the 
newcomers. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  45 

The  purely  philosophic  reasons  which  Professor  Hollander  has 
given  would  justify  the  continuation  of  our  Jewish  charities.  But 
these  practical  considerations  make  it  absolutely  essential,  not  only 
that  they  be  maintained,  but  that  every  man  among  us  give  to  his 
utmost  to  their  support  in  every  possible  way.  We  owe  this  to 
our  fellow-Jews  because  their  oppression  is  due  solely  to  their 
religious  beliefs  and  observances.  And  as  long  as  there  is  on  tne 
face  of  the  earth  one  who  by  professing  our  religion  thereby  be- 
comes the  victim  of  oppression  and  abuse  it  behooves  us  to  stand 
up  for  him,  and,  with  all  of  our  strength,  to  battle  for  our  faith, 
our  brothers  and  ourselves.  Our  obligations  however  do  not  end 
here.  As  true  Jews,  we  owe  a  duty  to  all  humanity.  This  we  must 
pay  by  our  contributions  not  only  in  money,  but  in  personal  work 
for  all  philanthropic  activities,  and  therefore  we  shall  delight  in 
taking  part  not  only  in  this  National  Conference  of  Jewish  Chari- 
ties, but  also  in  the  great  National  Conference  of  Charities  and 
Corrections,  whose  sessions  will  soon  begin  in  this  city. 

PRESIDENT  HOLLANDER:  The  report  of  the  Secretary  will  be 
presented  by  Mr.  Louis  H.  Levin,  of  Baltimore. 

SECRETARY'S  REPORT. 

SECRETARY  LEVIN  :  Upon  assuming  office,  directly  after  the 
last  Conference  held  in  Eichmond  in  1908,  I  made  a  study  of  the 
field  of  organized  Jewish  charities  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
the  name  and  number  of  the  organizations  which  ought  to  be 
members  of  the  National  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities,  but  were 
not  affiliated  with  our  organization.  Using  the  American  Jewish 
Year  Book  of  that  year  as  a  source  of  information,  I  found  374 
organizations  in  46  States  and  territories,  which,  from  the  scant 
information  in  the  Year  Book,  appeared  as  possible  members  of 
this  Conference.  They  included,  of  course,  many  organizations 
not  conducted  by  so-called  American  or  German  Jews.  Indeed, 
I  believe  the  majority  of  them  could  be  so  classified.  Particularly 
to  be  noted  were  the  Hachnosas  Orchim,  or  Friendly  Inns,  and 
the  Gemillath  Chasodim,  or  Free  Loan  Societies,  which  exist,  in 
almost  every  city.  These  are  organizations,  and  important  or- 


46  PEOCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

ganizations  of  recent  growth,  practically  unrepresented  in  our 
membership,  and  it  was  deemed  desirable  that  their  cohesion  be 
secured.  Friendly  Inns  are  not  local  societies,  for  they  affect  in 
a  most  pronounced  manner  the  problem  of  Jewish  transients,  and 
tramps,  and  therefore  come  peculiarly  within  the  sphere  of  our 
work.  With  the  possible  exception  of  the  relief  society,  with  its 
intricate  inter-municipal  complications,  no  character  of  institu- 
tion has  a  less  local  sphere  of  influence  than  the  Friendly  Inn. 
In  spite  of  a  campaign  amongst  them  by  mail,  only  one  such 
institution  has  joined  our  ranks,  namely,  the  Hachnosas  Orchim 
of  Kansas  City;  but  the  beginning  has  been  made,  and  to  that 
association  belongs  the  honor  of  first  recoognizing  the  national 
character  of  the  work  the  Friendly  Inns  do. 

Hebrew  Free  Loan  Associations  are  local  affairs,  even  so  large 
and  active  an  association  as  the  Hebrew  Free  Loan  Association  of 
New  York,  a  member  of  this  Conference,  operates  in  its  own  city, 
and  it  may  not  seem,  at  first  glance,  as  if  this  Conference  has  any 
attraction  for  them.  This  calls  up  the  larger  question,  whether 
associations,  limited  in  operations  to  the  cities  to  which  they  be- 
long, have  a  duty  to  become  members  of  this  Conference.  I 
venture  to  express  the  opinion  that  it  would  be  narrowing  the 
scope  and  value  of  the  Conference  to  limit  it  to  such  associations 
as  have  relations  with  organizations  in  other  cities,  that  is,  those 
whose  operations  have  an  inter-municipal  character.  The  rules 
for  the  regulation  of  transportation  are  not  our  charter  or  sole 
excuse  for  existence.  On  the  contrary,  the  meeting  here  this 
evening  demonstrates  that  Jewish  charities,  whether  local  or  na- 
tional, have  problems  of  their  own.  which  can  best  be  studied  in 
gatherings  of  this  sort,  where  mind  meets  mind,  worker  con- 
fronts worker,  and  questions  are  stated  and  answered  with  the 
combined  wisdom  of  numbers  who  have  puzzled  over  the  same 
inquiries. 

With  this  idea  of  the  sweep  of  our  Conference  in  mind,  the 
campaign  was  directed  toward  institutions  of  all  kinds,  and  an 
attempt  was  made  to  convince  them  that  the  more  representative 
the  National  Conference  the  greater  use  it  would  be  to  all  con- 
cerned. We  did  not  hesitate  to  approach  hospitals  and  homes  and 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  47 

orphan  asylums  with  the  plea  that  the  Conference  forms  the 
great  Jewish  forum  to  which  any  question  concerning  charitable 
or  social  work  might  be  brought.  The  replies  have  not  been  so 
numerous  nor  so  encouraging  as  we  had  hoped,  though  the  mem- 
bership has  been  increased  twenty  per  cent.  It  was  to  be  expected 
that  the  newer  associations,  especially  those  which  conduct  their 
affairs  in  Yiddish,  should  hesitate  before  joining  us;  but  the 
campaign  of  education,  the  extension  of  the  idea  of  organization, 
has  to  be  carried  on  for  years  before  it  bears  fruit,  and  the  hope 
is  here  expressed  that  a  modest  beginning  has  been  made. 

Besides  letters  written  to  prospective  members,  lists  of  our  mem- 
bership, our  transportation  rules,  our  constitution,  a  telegraphic 
code  and,  finally,  a  copy  of  the  report  of  the  proceedings  of  1908 
were  distributed  to  prospective  members,  and  it  is  not  too  much 
to  believe  that  the  name  and  purpose  of  the  Conference  have  been 
carried  into  quarters  where  they  were  imknoMrn  before.  Quite  a 
number  of  replies  were  received,  showing  that  our  invitation  was 
seriously  considered,  and  if  the  answer  finally  inclined  against 
us  it  was,  let  us  assume,  because  the  real  value  of  the  Conference 
has  not  made  itself  felt  among  the  less  conspicuous  associations. 

When  the  last  Conference  adjourned  we  had,  according  to  the 
record  submitted  to  me  by  my  predecessor,  116  members,  of  whom 
10  had  lapsed,  and  from  whom  no  dues  have  been  received  since 
1908,  and  from  even  before  that  time.  These  106  members  were 
down  for  dues  amounting  to  $1,097,  the  10  lapsed  members  for 
$50.  During  the  last  two  years,  we  have  succeeded  in  obtaining 
the  adhesion  of  22  new  members  contributing  $300  per  annum, 
making  a  total  now  of  128  societies  in  good  standing,  contributing 
$1,347  annually.  The  new  organizations  are: 

Jewish  Home  Society,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Associated  Jewish  Charities,  Chicago.  111. 

Hebrew  Ladies'  Belief,  Dayton,  0. 

Detroit  Ladies'  Society  for  Support  of  Widows  and  Orphans. 

Beth  Israel  Benevolent  Society,  Houston,  Tex. 

Independent  Jewish  Charities,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Ladies'  Sanitary  and  Benevolent  Society,   Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Hebrew  Immigration  Society,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


48  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

Montefiore  Home,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Jewish  Hospital,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Hebrew  Home  for  Aged,  Richmond,  Va. 

Ladies'  Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Stockton,  Cal. 

Hebrew  Benevolent  Loan,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Chicago  Women's  Aid. 

Denver  Sheltering  Home. 

Hachnosas  Orchim,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Ladies'  Relief  Sewing  Society,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Mt.  Sinai  Hospital,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Ladies'  Fuel  and  Aid  Society,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

New  York  Orphan  Asylum. 

Council  Jewish  Women,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

United  Hebrew  Charities,  Sioux  City,  la. 

There  has  been  some  inquiry  as  to  whether  the  dues  could  not 
be  so  rearranged  as  to  be  divided  more  acceptably  among  the  mem- 
bership. Suggestions  of  a  reduction  have  been  offered,  and,  on 
the  other  hand,  individual  in  addition  to  organization  member- 
ship has  been  urged.  I  shall  not  go  into  these  various  questions 
here,  but  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  show  that  any  reduction 
in  our  income  would  be  unwise. 

What  are  our  funds  used  for?  In  the  first  place,  to  pay  the 
expense  of  running  the  office,  then  reporting  the  Conference  and 
publishing  its  proceedings  in  substantial  book  form.  The  Con- 
ference had  a  traveling  scholarship,  awarded  several  years  ago, 
but  that  has  been  discontinued,  and  there  is  no  disposition  to 
continue  to  appropriate  for  this  purpose.  Of  course,  expense  is 
incurred  in  making  propaganda  for  the  Conference,  and  in  extend- 
ing its  membership  and  influence.  Finally,  our  transportation 
decisions  have  been  printed  and  distributed  during  the  last  two 
years,  and  the  importance  of  this  procedure  should  not  be  over- 
looked. When  I  assumed  office,  I  found  that  it  had  not  been  the 
practice  heretofore  to  print  or  preserve  decisions,  and  that  the 
only  members  knowing  of  a  rule  laid  down  or  a  principle  estab- 
lished on  the  basis  of  an  adjudicated  case  were  those  involved  in 
the  dispute.  No  precedents  could  be  established  under  this 
system,  and  it  was  a  matter  of  difficulty  for  the  Transportation 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  49 

Committee  itself  to  recall  the  facts  that  they  had  previously 
passed  on,  and  the  decision  that  they  had  made. 

Eecognizing  that  in  establishing  a  sound  practice  in  regard  to 
inter-municipal  affairs,  the  Conference  would  perform  positive 
and  constructive  work,  as  soon  as  questions  were  propounded  to 
the  Transportation  Committee,  we  put  them  in  shape  for  per- 
manent record,  and  the  decisions  were  distributed  to  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Conference.  While  the  questions  passed  upon  were 
not  numerous,  they  were  of  considerable  importance,  and  one  case 
involved  the  payment  by  one  city  of  a  large  sum  to  another  city. 
The  city  that  made  the  payment  deserves  credit  for  its  prompt 
acquiescence  in  the  decision  of  the  Committee,  and  the  no  less 
prompt  payment  of  a  considerable  sum,  when  behind  the  decision 
was  only  the  moral  force  of  the  general  agreement  on  which  mem- 
bers enter  the  Conference.  There  is  every  prospect  that  the  Com- 
mittee will  be  called  upon  more  often  in  the  future  to  render 
decision  between  member  and  member,  for  it  will  be  evident  that 
our  rules  have  been  made  to  be  observed,  and  that  it  is  worth 
while  for  every  organization  to  heed  them  itself  and  to  see  that 
its  neighbor  does  likewise. 

I  must  restrain  my  desire  to  enter  into  an  exposition  of  the 
activities  that  might  profitably  be  undertaken  by  the  Conference, 
but  my  short  term  in  office  has  demonstrated  to  me  that  we  have 
not  made  full  use  of  the  fact  that  this  is  an  organization  of 
organizations  and  not  of  individuals.  Organizations  are  inter- 
ested, for  instance,  in  desertion,  which  is,  in  nearly  every  instance, 
a  tale  of  two  or  more  cities,  and  a  central  bureau  for  gathering 
and  disseminating  facts  about  deserters,  with  their  description 
and  photographs,  would  probably  be  of  great  assistance  in  meeting 
this  unmanageable  evil.  Only  a  national  organization  could  run 
such  a  bureau,  and  ours  is  the  only  Jewish  national  charitable 
association.  Other  lines  might  be  mentioned  in  which  the 
National  Conference  could  be  of  great  use  in  helping  to  solve  the 
problems  of  its  constituent  societies.  This,  again,  raises  the  ques- 
tion whether  we  are  only  a  conference,  with  no  duties  beyond 
meeting  and  discussing.  Our  Transportation  Committee  is  a  step 


50  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

away  from  that  point  of  view,  and  it  is  a  matter  for  consideration 
whether  we  should  not  go  further  in  this  direction. 

Whether  we  do  or  not,  we  ought  at  least  to  have  a  central  office, 
with  some  stability  both  as  to  location  and  manager.  Heretofore 
the  Secretary  has  had  control  of  the  office,  and  there  is  no  reason 
why  he  should  not  be  continued  in  that  capacity.  Bui  1  doubt 
the  wisdom  of  frequent  changes  in  this  office,  as  the  work  loses 
in  continuity  with  the  advent  of  a  new  Secretary,  as  I  can  testify, 
and  all  that  has  been  done  by  previous  secretaries  in  getting 
the  Conference  in  running  order,  in  establishing  rules  and  regula- 
tions, in  ascertaining  the  particular  needs  of  our  various  kinds  of 
institutions,  is  lost.  Not  only  should  my  successor  be  selected 
with  the  view  to  maintaining  him  in  the  position  indefinitely,  but 
some  salary,  a  modest  one,  perhaps  only  a  nominal  salary,  as  only 
a  fraction  of  his  time  will  be  needed,  should  be  attached  to  the 
office,  which  ought  to  be  regarded  professionally,  and  not  merely 
as  voluntary  service,  over  which  all  other  engagements  take  pre- 
cedence. At  the  last  Conference  the  Executive  Committee  was 
authorized  to  engage  a  field  secretary  if  it  deemed  such  action 
wise ;  but  it  is  my  humble  opinion  that  a  paid  secretary,  who  should 
follow  up  our  work  and  obtain  a  good  grasp  on  our  affairs  would 
be  a  much  more  useful  adjunct  to  our  Conference. 

The  office  ought  to  have  a  better  control  over  information  re- 
garding constituent  members.  All  reports  issued  by  them  ought 
to  be  kept  on  file,  as  well  as  other  information  that  may  be  help- 
ful to  members.  The  office  could  be  made  a  clearing  house  for 
inquiries  and  information  of  many  kinds,  connected  with  the 
work  of  our  members,  and  could  in  that  way  become  a  center  of 
use  and  help.  I  repeat  that  it  may  be  a  matter  of  considerable 
doubt  whether  the  Conference  ought  to  strike  out  in  the  domain 
of  actualwork,  or  whether  it  should  remain  more  or  less  a  shell, 
as  it  is  now,  with  enough  flexibility  to  accommodate  all  shades  of 
opinion,  and  with  duties  which,  while  responsible,  are  not  par- 
ticularly troublesome.  I  submit,  however,  that  the  Conference 
extension  work  that  I  have  suggested  at  least  merits  consideration. 
And  whether  there  is  extension  or  not,  the  Secretary's  office  should 
be  taken  more  seriously.  Perhaps  it  will  be  apparent  now  that 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  51 

the  undiminished  income  of  the  Conference  will  be  required  to 
obtain  a  proper  standard  of  efficiency. 

In  planning  for  the  future,  the  present  Yiddish  or  Anglo- 
Yiddish  societies  should  not  be  overlooked,  for  though  they  are 
for  the  most  part  small,  in  the  aggregate  their  work  bulks  large, 
and  tomorrow  they  will  be  English,  influential  and  up  to  date. 
We  can  understand  perfectly  why  the  idea  of  national  or- 
ganization has  not  taken  better  root  among  them.  They  lack 
something  of  our  savoir  faire,  they  have  not,  except  in  a  few 
instances,  attained  successful  local  organization,  our  aims  and 
purposes  have  not  been  placed  before  them  convincingly,  and  our 
proceedings  are  not  intelligible  to  large  masses  of  their  con- 
tributors. Perhaps,  too,  we  have  not  invited  them  as  cordially 
as  we  might  have  done.  There  is  sufficient  evidence  that  the 
feeling  for  organization  and  organization  on  a  comprehensive  scale 
is  growing,  and  the  situation  presents  distinct  elements  of  hope. 
Social  workers  are  being  more  and  more  recruited  from  among 
those  who  understand  Yiddish  and  the  Yiddish  Jew,  and  to  them 
we  may  look  for  effective  assistance  in  adding  to  our  strength  an 
element  that  has  not  been  drawn  upon  largely  in  the  past  for 
our  purposes. 

One  word  in  regard  to  the  by-products  of  the  Conference. 
There  are  delegates  present  representing  every  form  of  charitable 
work  among  us.  Hospitals,  orphan  asylums,  relief  societies,  settle- 
ments, sewing  societies  have  sent  their  representatives  to  confer 
at  our  meetings.  It  has  not  been  feasible  to  put  upon  the  program 
all  the  questions  they  wish  to  discuss,  and  letters  have  been  re- 
ceived requesting  that  such  and  such  a  topic  be  added  to  our  list. 
A  selection  had  to  be  made,  and  some  regret  will  no  doubt  be  felt 
at  the  omission  of  a  particular  subject.  The  situation  can  be  met, 
however,  by  informal  gatherings  among  the  delegates  representing 
the  different  kinds  of  associations.  Our  Conference  has  been 
made  compact  in  order  to  cover  our  ground  as  quickly  as  may 
be,  making  it  possible  for  delegates  who  come  only  for  a  three-day 
stay  to  have  one  day  clear  for  specializing,  so  to  speak,  in  their  own 
line.  Friday  may  profitably  be  devoted  to  roundtable  discussions, 
arranged  during  the  Conference,  and  the  results  of  these  discus- 


52  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE  SIXTH 

sions,  with  the  consequent  clarifying  of  ideas,  may  figure  in  a 
future  program.  The  value  of  such  discussions  should  not  be 
underrated,  and  the  Executive  Committee  has  decided  that  if 
biennial  sessions  of  the  Conference  be  continued  as  heretofore,  in 
the  years  between  the  formal  conferences,  informal  meetings  should 
be  held  during  the  meetings  of  the  National  Conference  of  Chari- 
ties and  Corrections,  at  which  those  of  us  who  attend  that  con- 
ference may  come  together,  much  in  the  way  I  have  suggested  for 
the  delegates  who  desire  to  have  section  meetings  follow  this 
conference.  It  was  at  such  a  meeting  that  the  Section  of  Social 
Workers  was  born,  destined,  I  believe,  to  be  an  important  addition 
to  our  Conference,  and  a  valuable  stimulus  to  the  professional 
worker. 

Whether  we  are  ready  for  annual  sessions  of  our  Conference  is 
another  of  those  questions  of  methods  which  we  shall  have  to  face 
shortly.  If  the  functions  of  the  Conference  are  expanded,  more  fre- 
quent meetings  than  we  hold  now  will  be  necessary.  If  we  are  to 
go  on  in  the  same  way  as  heretofore,  we  may  be  satisfied  with 
biennial  meetings.  But  the  annual  meeting,  I  apprehend,  is 
bound  to  come,  for  the  cause  of  organized  charity  has  never  been 
in  stronger  favor  than  now,  our  questions  are  receiving  intensive 
study,  and  the  desire  for  a  view  of  the  experience  of  all  com- 
munities is  becoming  imperative.  Only  at  a  conference  of  workers 
and  delegates  can  we  get  fruitful  interchange  of  opinion,  and  two 
years  will  be  found  to  be  too  long  to  wait  between  meetings.  The 
informal  meetings  in  the  year  between  conferences  above  referred 
to  may  be  a  good  test  for  ascertaining  the  need  pt  annual  meetings, 
and  even  if  we  do  nothing  further  under  this  head  at  this  meeting 
the  matter  will  not  lapse. 

So  far  we  have  considered  only  the  organization,  but  the  in- 
dividual is  at  the  ultimate  foundation  of  all  our  movements.  We 
cannot  deal  profitably  with  delegates  alone.  Directors  and  plain, 
ordinary  citizens  should  follow  and  understand  the  development 
of  our  charities,  and  if  in  the  past  the  papers  and  discussions  we 
have  here  had  been  widely  distributed  and  read  we  could  have 
counted  not  only  on  more  ample  support,  but  also  on  keener  and 
more  widespread  interest.  To  reach  the  individual  I  suggest  that 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  53 

an  individual  membership  in  this  Conference  be  permitted,  the 
dues  to  be  fixed  at  a  popular  price,  each  member  to  receive  a  copy 
of  our  publications.  This  will  not  affect  the  balance  between 
societies  established  by  our  constitution,  for  individuals  need  not 
have  a  vote  in  our  meetings.  But  their  adhesion  to  our  Conference, 
and  the  receipt  of  our  reports  will,  on  the  one  side,  strengthen 
our  hands,  and,  on  the  other,  disseminate  the  best  Jewish  thought 
on  charitable,  philanthropic  and  social  questions. 

The  suggestions,  growing  out  of  my  two  years'  experience  as 
the  Secretary  of  the  National  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities,  are 
advanced  tentatively,  and  more  as  food  for  thought  than  as  the 
necessary  program  of  progress.  Those  two  years  have  convinced 
me  that  our  Conference  performs  a  vital  function  in  promoting 
charitable  co-operation  in  this  country,  and  it  is  bound  to  make 
for  better,  broader  and  sounder  views  on  the  questions  which  we 
all  have  so  much  at  heart. 

PRESIDENT  HOLLANDER:  This,  the  first  and  opening  session  of 
the  Conference,  will  conclude  with  prayer. 

PRAYER. 

RABBI  LEON  HARRISON,  St.  Louis :  Thou  great  Soul  of  all,  we 
pray  Thee  not  for  substance,  but  for  a  double  portion  of  Thy 
spirit.  We  do  not  ask  Thee  to  do  for  any  man  that  which  his 
own  right  arm  should  do  for  himself.  We  would  not  willingly 
be  unworthily  dependent  even  upon  Thee. 

Teach  us,  then,  the  bitterness  of  dependence  upon  our  fellow- 
man;  of  eating  our  bread  out  of  the  hand  of  another. 

And  wilt  Thou  not  turn  Thy  face  unto  those  that  are  crushed, 
not  only  by  adverse  forces,  but  by  human  hate;  those  in  whose 
name  and  help  we,  their  brothers  in  blood  and  in  faith,  are 
assembled  ? 

We  beseech  Thee  to  transform  this  Brotherhood  of  a  common 
Tragedy  into  the  Brotherhood  of  a  common  Task.  We  ask  Thee 
to  change  our  sorrow  into  sympathy,  and  our  pain  into  pity, 
that  out  of  the  black  slime  of  human  passions  may  grow  the  pure 
white  lily  of  charity  and  love  divine. 


54  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

Oh  Thou  bounteous  Spirit  of  all  Good,  Thou  art,  of  all  Thy 
gifts,  Thyself  the  crown.  Give  what  Thou  canst;  without  Thee 
we  are  poor,  and  with  Thee  rich;  take  what  Thou  wilt  away. 
Amen! 

Wednesday,  May  18,  1910. 
MORNING    SESSION. 

PRESIDENT  HOLLANDER  :  The  Conference  will  be  in  order.  The 
program  which  has  been  arranged  for  this  morning's  session, 
carrying  out  the  general  plan  of  this  Conference,  is  to  devote  the 
entire  morning  to  the  consideration  of  one  subject. 

The  subject  is  one  that  is  absorbing,  and  has  absorbed  the  atten- 
tion of  Jewish  workers  throughout  the  country,  and  presents  one 
of  the  most  difficult  questions  we  have  to  deal  with. 

Mr.  Morris  D.  Waldman,  of  New  York,  has  prepared  a  care- 
ful paper,  which  he  will  present.  This  paper  has  been  submitted 
to  three  members  of  the  Conference,  who  will  discuss  it  in  the  light 
of  the  preliminary  study  which  they  have  made  of  the  paper. 
Thereafter  the  paper  will  be  open  for  general  discussion. 

The  following  paper  on  the  subject  of  desertion  was  then  read 
by  the  Reporter,  Mr.  Morris  D.  Waldman,  of  New  York : 

FAMILY  DESERTION 

BY  MORRIS  D.  WALDMAN, 
Manager  of  the  United  Hebrew  Charities,  New  York. 

EXTENT. 

As  the  National  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities,  I  take  it,  has 
for  its  purpose  the  consideration  of  Jewish  social  questions,  this 
report  must  begin  with  an  apology,  for  family  desertion  is  by 
no  means  a  distinctly  Jewish  problem.  On  the  contrary,  family 
desertion  appears  to  be  as  prevalent  among  non-Jews,  if  not  more  so, 
judging  by  the  reports  issuing  from  non-Jewish  charities  in  this 
country.  Whereas,  of  the  cases  treated  by  the  United  Hebrew 
Charities  of  New  York  during  the  two  years  ending  September  30th, 
1908,  11.66  per  cent,  were  cases  of  desertion,  of  5,000  indiscrimi- 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE    OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  55 

nately  selected  cases  of  the  Charity  Organization  Society  of  that 
city,  upon  which  Dr.  Edward  T.  Devine's  book  "Causes  of  Misery 
is  based,  12.12  per  cent,  weie  such  cases.  In  Buffalo,  according 
to  a  statement  made  by  Mr.  Frederic  Almy,  Secretary  of  the  Asso- 
ciated Charities,  desertion  cases  formed  during  the  past  four  years 
from  10  per  cent,  to  14  per  cent,  of  the  total.  In  that  city  deser- 
tion among  Jews  is  hardly  known.  In  St.  Louis  the  Secretary 
of  the  Associated  Charities  could  not  furnish  my  correspondent 
with  the  exact  figures,  but  stated  that  he  suspected  the  desertion 
cases  formed  about  25  per  cent,  of  the  total  number.  In  Detroit 
15  per  cent,  of  the  non- Jewish  cases  last  year  were  desertion  cases. 
A  more  accurate  basis  of  comparison  would  be  the  proportion 
of  dependent  desertion  cases  to  population  in  Jewish  and  non- 
Jewish  cases  in  the  same  city  during  the  same  period.  When 
it  is  further  considered  that  desertion  among  Jews  is  directly 
due,  to  some  extent,  to  the  unstable  conditions  among  which  they 
have  for  centuries  lived,  extenuation  may  be  reasonably  offered. 
That  it  is  not  a  new  problem  the  following  extract  from  Abraham's 
"Jewish  Life  in  the  Middle  Ages"  will  show : 

"Wife  desertion  was  an  evil  which  was  harder  to  deal  with, 
for,  owing  to  the  unsettlement  of  Jewish  life  under  continuous 
persecutions,  the  husband  was  frequently  bound  to  leave  home 
in  search  of  a  livelihood,  and  perhaps  to  contract  his  services 
for  long  periods  to  foreign  employers.  The  husband  endeavored 
to  make  ample  provision  for  his  wife's  maintenance  during  his 
absence,  or,  if  he  failed  to  do  so,  the  wife  was  supported  at  the 
public  cost  and  the  husband  compelled  to  refund  the  sums  so 
expended.  These  absences  grew  to  such  abnormal  lengths  that 
in  the  twelfth  century  it  became  necessary  to  protect  the  wife 
by  limiting  the  absence  to  eighteen  months — an  interval  which 
was  only  permitted  to  husbands  who  had  obtained  the  formal 
sanction  of  the  communal  authorities.  On  his  return  the  hus- 
band was  compelled  to  remain  at  least  six  months  with  his  family 
before  again  starting  on  his  involuntary  travels.  During  the  first 
year  of  marriage  it  became  a  well-established  rule  of  conduct 
that  the  husband  was  not  to  leave  home  on  any  considerable 
journey."  A  treatise  called  "Kontres  Hoagunah,"  published  in 


56  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

Salonica  in  1651,  deals  exclusively  with  the  problem  of  family 
desertion.  Section  17  of  the  Shulchan  Aruch,  the  Jewish  Code, 
treats  entirely  of  this  problem.  Even  here  Koheleth's  repu- 
tation for  wisdom  is  vindicated — there  is  nothing  new  under  the 
sun.  In  the  Jewish  Encyclopedia  Dr.  Kaufman  Kohler's  treat- 
ment of  the  Jewish  law  of  desertion  is  further  proof  that  we  are 
not  dealing  with  a  new  problem.  The  fact  that  there  is  a  Hebrew 
word  for  a  deserted  woman,  "Agunah,"  shows  that  she  was  not 
unknown  when  Hebrew  was  the  vernacular. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  report  to  deal  with  the  entire 
question  of  family  desertion.  Our  legitimate  interest  is  con- 
fined to  only  that  small  proportion  of  desertion  cases  in  which 
the  desertion  has  driven  the  wife  to  apply  for  aid  at  a  relief 
agency.  But  even  as  a  charity  problem  it  is  a  serious  one  in 
most  of  the  larger  cities  of  the  country.  In  St.  Louis  78,  or  7 
per  cent,  of  the  total  number  of  applicants  last  year,  were  deserted 
women;  in  Baltimore  90,  or  16  per  cent.;  in  Chicago  204,  or 
11  per  cent.;  in  New  York  1046,  or  10  per  cent.  In  Chicago 
over  $11,600  was  spent  by  the  Jewish  Charities  on  desertion  cases 
last  year;  in  Baltimore,  $3,000;  in  San  Francisco,  $2,650;  in 
New  York,  $37,000.  This  does  not  include  the  cost  of  main- 
taining children  of  deserted  wives  in  the  orphanages,  hospitals 
and  other  institutions.  The  number  of  such  children  in  the 
Jewish  child-caring  institutions  of  New  York  probably  exceeds 
600,  costing  for  their  maintenance  annually  $70,000.  The  exact 
number  could  not  be  furnished  by  all  the  institutions.  The  United 
Hebrew  Charities  of  New  York  had  on  its  records  last  year 
1046  deserted  women  as  against  1655  widows.  That  is,  to  every 
three  widows  the  organization  entertained  applications  from  two 
deserted  women. 

The  problem  of  desertion  is  probably  the  most  vexing  and  per- 
plexing with  which  relief  agencies  are  called  upon  to  deal  and, 
though  from  time  to  time  experiences  at  these  conferences  have 
been  interchanged,  a  solution  has  not  yet  been  discovered  which 
can  be  applied  generally.  Mr.  Jacob  Billikopf..  of  Kansas  City, 
writes  that  his  society  had  to  deal  with  only  one  case  of  abandon- 
ment last  year,  and  further  says  that  the  reason  they  have  so 
few  deserters  is  because  he  has  gained  an  unenviable  reputation 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  5? 

as  a  prosecutor.  Mr.  Billikopf  is  evidently  fortunate  in  being 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Parole  and  Pardons  in  his  city,  in- 
vested to  some  extent  with  magistrate's  power.  Possibly  it  would 
be  wise  for  the  superintendents  of  the  charities  of  smaller  cities 
to  have  themselves  appointed  magistrates,  but  those  of  us 
unfortunately  who  are  at  the  head  of  charities  in  the  larger 
cities  have  so  much  to  do  with  the  management  of  their  own 
organizations  that  they  must  forego  such  opportunities  to  serve 
the  general  community.  Dr.  Bogen,  of  Cincinnati,  has  appar- 
ently also  arrived  at  a  solution,  and  that  without  being  a  magis- 
trate. His  plan  is  just  the  other  way;  instead  of  sitting  in  judg- 
ment upon  all  such  delinquents,  he  refuses  to  sit  in  judgment 
upon  any  and  turns  them  all  over  to  the  Ohio  Humane  Society. 
Dr.  Bogen  wrote  me  last  year  that  he  had  only  12  cases  of  de- 
sertion— eight  new  and  four  from  previous  years.  When  I  wrote 
asking  how  many  desertion  cases  Cincinnati  had  the  year  before 
this  plan  was  introduced  he  replied  that  it  would  be  difficult 
to  trace,  but  stated  that  the  first  year  the  plan  was  inaugurated 
they  had  23  new  cases  and  7  old  ones — 30  in  all — or  two  and 
one-half  times  as  many  as  during  1909.  He  is  sure,  however, 
that  they  had  many  more  than  at  present. 

I  presume  the  term  "scientific  charity"  is  taboo  at  this  con- 
ference, a  counter  reformation  in  Jewish  Charities  having  appar- 
ently set  in.  The  pendulum  which  ten  years  ago  swung  from  the 
heart  to  the  brain  in  charity  work  seems  now  on  its  return  swing. 
However  we  may  feel  on  the  subject  of  "scientific  charity,"  it 
must  be  conceded  that  probing  into  the  causes  of  our  social  prob- 
lems is  altogether  necessary  before  we  can  begin  to  formulate 
plans  for  their  elimination.  It  was  with  this  conviction  that  in 
1902  the  United  Hebrew  Charities  of  New  York  undertook  an 
investigation  of  the  causes  of  desertion  among  250  cases,  and  it 
is  something  in  the  nature  of  a  coincidence  that  I  was  the  in- 
vestigator. I  had  never  before  been  connected  with  a  charity 
organization,  had  not  been  specially  interested  in  the  problem 
of  wife  and  child  abandonment,  and  so  brought  to  the  work  a 
tabula  rasa.,  so  to  speak,  without  preconceived  notions  that  could 
be  prejudicial  to  the  investigation.  The  results  of  that  investi- 
gation stimulated  the  society  to  greater  energy  in  the  direction 


58  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

of  making  the  law  of  desertion  in  New  York  severer  in  punish- 
ment than  it  was  at  the  time.  The  study  was  quite  intensive 
in  character  and  the  method  pursued  could  only  be  very  crudely 
applied  at  this  time  to  an  investigation  in  other  cities,  especially 
as  the  present  investigation  had  to  be  made  within  a  very  limited 
time  by  different  persons,  with  differing  forms  of  record. 

I  wrote  to  the  following  cities  for  information:  Boston,  Phila- 
delphia, Baltimore,  Detroit,  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Louisville,  St. 
Louis,  Chicago,  Kansas  City  and  San  Francisco.  Louisville,  Cleve- 
land and  Boston  have  not  replied.  Louisville  states  my  letter 
did  not  reach.  Detroit  and  Philadelphia  could  only  give  in- 
formation concerning  their  new  cases;  the  former  city  had 
only  six  cases  in  all  and  therefore  its  experience  was  quite  useless 
for  our  purpose.  In  some  important  details  none  of  the  cities 
could  give  the  required  information;  not  one  could  furnish 
comparative  figures  of  desertion  cases  and  total  number  of  cases 
for  any  considerable  length  of  time,  making  it  impossible  to  judge 
accurately  of  the  increase  or  decrease  of  such  cases.  I  fear  that 
my  persistent  questioning  severely  taxed  the  patience  of  some  of 
the  superintendents  of  the  societies.  One  superintendent  was  too 
busy  to  compile  the  necessary  figures,  but  extended  a  cordial 
invitation  to  me  to  send  someone  there  for  them,  a  thousand  miles 
away.  My  experiences  suggest  that  the  only  way  in  which  to 
secure  reliable  information  upon  this  subject  is  to  induce  the 
various  organizations  to  carry  on  uniform  statistics.  I  have  pre- 
pared forms  which,  if  approved,  should  be  distributed  among  the 
organizations  not  later  than  September  1st,  before  the  beginning 
of  their  fiscal  year;  these  forms  should  guide  the  study  of  the 
subject  the  whole  of  the  year.  The  returns  then  could  be  com- 
piled by  a  committee  appointed  for  that  purpose,  and  published 
by  the  Conference  before  its  next  convention. 

It  is  only  fair  to  say  that  the  responses  to  my  inquiries  were 
in  general  very  cordial  and  our  thanks  are  due  to  all  the  organi- 
zations which  replied,  for  their  prompt  and  willing  co-operation. 

CAUSES  OF  DESERTION. 

The  answer  to  the  question,  "Why  do  men  desert  their  fam- 
ilies?" would  not  only  be  interesting  because  it  would  satisfy 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  59 

a  natural  curiosity,  but  also  because  it  would  point  the  way  to 
a  solution  of  the  problem.  Miss  Zilpha  D.  Smith,  who  made  a 
study  of  deserted  cases  in  Boston  in  1901,  said:  "To  answer 
this  satisfactorily  one  would  have  to  make  a  psychological  study 
of  the  mind  of  each  deserting  husband,  a  most  difficult  task,  since 
it  was  difficut  even  to  make  his  acquaintance."  Only  a  very 
small  percentage  of  returning  husbands  apply  for  relief  after 
their  return,  and  so  it  is  only  rarely  that  we  have  been  able  to 
get  at  the  reasons  for  desertion  from  the  lips  of  the  delinquents 
themselves.  In  the  hope  that  I  might  secure  some  valuable  in- 
formation of  this  kind,  I  asked  the  investigators  of  my  staff  to 
visit  as  many  as  possible  of  the  new  desertion  cases  of  last  year 
who  have  not  applied  for  relief  this  year,  and  to  ascertain,  among 
other  facts,  the  cause  of  desertion  in  each  case.  In  all  105  cases 
were  visited;  of  these  69  could  not  be  located,  having  moved  from 
the  former  address;  in  a  very  small  number  of  them  neighbors 
and  relatives  volunteered  some  information  which  usually,  how- 
ever, was  too  vague  to  be  reliable.  Of  the  remainder,  in  13  cases 
the  husband  had  not  returned  nor  was  his  whereabouts  known; 
in  5  reunion  between  husband  and  wife  had  been  effected  in  a 
city  outside  of  New  York;  in  6  the  husband  had  been  located, 
but  had  not  returned;  in  only  12  cases  was  it  found  that  the 
husbands  returned  and  were  interviewed  by  the  visitor.  Of 
the  17  who  had  been  reunited  either  in  New  York  or  elsewhere 
10  had  left  because  of  lack  of  work  or  insufficient  earnings;  2 
because  of  incompatibility  of  temper;  1  because  of  interference 
of  the  mother-in-law  (strangely  enough  both  the  husband  and 
wife  in  this  case  were  deaf  mutes)  ;  4  had  left  for  reasons  un- 
known. The  causes  given  originally  for  the  desertion  differed, 
as  far  as  could  be  learned,  in  four  cases  from  the  cause  ascer- 
tained after  the  husband  was  interviewed.  In  two  cases  the 
cause  given  was  lack  of  work  and  was  eventually  found  to  be 
incompatibility  of  temper;  search  for  work  was  not  the  primary 
cause  in  either  case.  In  the  other  two  cases,  where  the  cause 
at  first  was  unknown,  the  return  of  the  husband  showed  in  one 
other  women  and  in  the  other,  incompatibility  of  temper. 

It  will  be  of  interest  here  to  remark  that  in  the  investigation 
made  in  1902  of  five  cases  where  the  wife  had  alleged  the  cause 


60  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE  SIXTH 

for  her  husband's  departure  to  be  another  woman,  in  three  the  re- 
turn of  the  husband  proved  the  desertion  to  be  due  to  a  less  repre- 
hensible cause — namely,  incompatibility  of  temper. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  cause  of  family  abandonment  is  in 
every  case  not  simple,  but  complex.  It  is  impossible  to  determine 
all  the  incidences  and  factors  which  drive  a  man  to  leave  his 
family  to  the  tender  mercy  of  circumstances.  It  is  only  possi- 
ble after  even  the  most  searching  investigation  and  analysis  to 
arrive  at  the  chief  cause  and  this,  as  the  above  experience  and  for 
that  matter  the  experience  of  us  all  shows,  is  often  doubtful.  After 
my  investigation  of  1902  was  made  I  tabulated  rather  crudely  the 
chief  causes  in  the  following  way : 

Other  women 65 

Licentiousness  10 

Dissipation 10 

Gambling 7 

Drink 6 

Woman's  immorality 3 

Laziness    16 

Marriage  for  money  solely 3 

Incompatibility  of  temper 19 

Interference  of  relatives 12 

Eoving  disposition 3 

To  seek  health 9 

Man's  insanity 4 

Woman's  insanity 1 

Woman's  sickness 1 

Money  fever 1 

To  seek  work 62 

Unknown 12 

Though  these  figures  in  their  very  nature  cannot  be  absolute, 
a  similar  tabulation  made  in  a  recent  investigation  of  86  cases 
carried  on  from  January  1st  to  March  15th  of  this  year,  would 
indicate  the  general  correctness  of  my  early  observations.  Where 
immorality  of  the  husband  appeared  to  be  the  cause  in  1902  in 
30  per  cent,  of  the  cases,  it  was  22  per  cent,  in  the  recent  in- 
vestigation; where  lack  of  work  was  25  per  cent,  in  1902  it  was 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  61 

25  per  cent,  in  1910;  where  incompatibility  was  17  per  cent,  in 
1902  it  was  20  per  cent,  in  1910.  In  all  the  other  cases  about  the 
same  percentage  prevails. 

This  recent  investigation  was  made  by  Mr.  Monroe  M.  Gold- 
stein, a  young  attorney,  who  had  never  before  been  interested 
in  the  subject,  and  who  was  wholly  unaware  of  the  1902  investi- 
gation. 

The  main  causes  of  desertion  can  be  divided  into  two  classes — 
subjective  and  objective.  In  the  first  class  are  those  cases  in 
which  the  self-indulgence  of  either  spouse  is  to  blame;  in  the 
second  are  those  where  the  cause  springs  from  conditions  over 
which  neither  has  control.  Eoughly  speaking,  the  first  class  in- 
cludes those  cases  where  immorality  or  other  bad  habits  are  the 
cause;  in  the  second,  where  industrial  conditions  or  illness  is 
the  cause.  A  mere  glance  at  the  table  above  mentioned  shows 
that  in  the  majority  of  cases  the  self-indulgence  of  the  spouse, 
usually  the  husband,  is  the  chief  cause. 

Miss  Smith,  of  Boston,  reported  that  as  far  as  she  was  able 
to  determine  11  per  cent,  of  the  234  deserted  families  she  had 
investigated,  among  the  applicants  at  the  Associated  Charities 
of  Boston,  were  due  to  immorality,  whereas  over  30  per  cent,  of 
the  United  Hebrew  Charities  cases  investigated  in  1902  were  due 
to  this  cause.  In  the  recent  United  Hebrew  Charities  investiga- 
tion, of  86  cases  22  per  cent,  were  due  to  this  cause;  this  would 
seem  to  indicate  a  rather  shockingly  high  proportion  of  immo- 
rality among  the  Jewish  cases  in  New  York  and  higher  also 
than  in  the  Jewish  cases  in  other  cities.  In  San  Francisco  it  was 
20  per  cent.;  in  Philadelphia,  21  per  cent.;  in  Baltimore,  11  per 
cent.;  in  Chicago,  15  per  cent;  in  St.  Louis,  8  per  cent.;  in 
Cincinnati,  8  per  cent.;  in  Detroit  2  of  the  6  new  cases  were  due 
to  this  cause,  but  the  cases  being  so  few  the  proportion  is  not 
indicative  of  the  general  situation.  However,  in  the  report  of 
Miss  Lillian  Brandt,  made  among  non- Jewish  cases  in  25  cities, 
of  386  cases  where  the  cause  was  available  in  110  cases,  or 
28  per  cent.,  was  the  cause  due  to  what  she  terms  "sexual  irregu- 
larity." In  53  the  men  had  left  with  another  woman;  in 
22  they  had  left  for  other  women,  showing  licentiousness;  in 
17  the  women  were  blamed  to  be  lax  in  their  morals;  in  15 


62  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

both  were  lax;  in  9  the  man  had  married  to  make  the  child  legiti- 
mate. In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  in  only 
three  of  the  250  Jewish  cases  investigated  in  1902  were 
the  women  known  to  be  guilty  of  sexual  irregularity.  The  in- 
vestigation made  by  Miss  Brandt  shows  that  immorality  is  the 
cause  more  frequently  among  non-Jews  than  among  Jews;  never- 
theless, the  large  proportion  of  such  cases  among  Jews  is  alarm- 
ing in  the  light  of  our  pride  in  the  decency  and  purity  of  Jewish 
family  life.  There  is  undoubtedly  a  peculiar  reason  for  this  dis- 
agreeable situation.  The  1902  investigation  was  made  in  two 
sections;  the  second  section  comprised  128  cases;  of  these  33 
were  due  to  other  women;  of  these  33,  careful  inquiry  disclosed 
the  fact  that  in  22,  or  67  per  cent.,  the  husband  had  arrived  in 
this  country  at  least  six  months  before  his  family.  In  the 
majority  of  the  cases  he  had  arrived  one  year  or  more  prior 
to  his  families;  of  the  19  cases  investigated  by  Mr.  Goldstein, 
in  which  the  husband  had  ostensibly  deserted  because  of  other 
women,  11  had  arrived  before  the  wife.  This  fact  undoubtedly 
presents  some  extenuation  for  the  surprisingly  high  percentage 
due  to  immorality,  for  it  is  among  the  Jews  principally  that  the 
husband  leaves  his  family  in  Europe  to  come  to  America  un- 
handicapped  in  his  effort  to  establish  a  firm  footing.  It  is  not 
so  surprising  for  men  thus  situated  to  enter  into  relations  with 
young  women.  When  it  is  considered  also  that  marriage  among 
these  people  in  the  old  countries  is  very  frequently  made  through 
the  instrumentality  of  shadchanim,  or  marriage  agents,  rather 
than  through  the  natural  channel  of  love  and  affection,  the  offense, 
though  reprehensible,  appears  less  surprising.  It  cannot  be  doubted 
that  in  many  of  these  cases,  had  their  families  arrived  with  them, 
the  men  would  not  have  yielded  to  a  stranger's  charms. 

It  has  been  commonly  supposed  that  lack  of  work  is  the  main 
general  cause  of  family  abandonment  among  the  poor;  our  in- 
vestigation shows  that  this  is  not  so.  In  St.  Louis  28  per  cent, 
were  due  to  this  cause;  in  Chicago,  25  per  cent.;  in  Baltimore, 
18  per  cent.;  in  San  Francisco,  14  per  cent.;  in  New  York, 
among  the  United  Hebrew  Charities  cases  both  in  1902  and  1910, 
25  per  cent.  It  is  also  the  general  impression  that  a  condition  of 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  63 

unemployment  stimulates  an  increase  in  desertion.  Baltimore 
writes  in  reply  to  my  inquiry,  "Was  there  an  increase  or  a  de- 
crease over  previous  years  in  desertion  cases  from  November, 
1907,  to  January,  1909  (during  the  hard  times)  ?"  as  follows : 
"The  Federated  (non- Jewish)  Charities  could  not  furnish  the 
desired  information;  the  Catholic  institutions  state  that  there 
was  neither  an  increase  nor  a  decrease  during  the  hard  times. 
In  the  number  of  Jewish  desertions  there  was  an  increase  of 
about  10  per  cent,  during  the  time  of  the  crisis  and  a  decrease 
of  the  same  percentage  since  January,  1909."  In  reply  to  my 
question,  "If  either,  increase  or  decrease,  how  do  you  account 
for  it?"  the  answer  from  Baltimore  was:  "The  increase  in  the 
number  of  desertions  during  the  hard  times  can  be  readily  ex- 
plained by  the  fact  that  during  that  time  work  was  very  scarce 
and  a  number  of  men  left  the  city  in  search  of  employment,  in 
the  meantime  leaving  their  families  to  be  assisted  by  the  charitable 
institutions."  Chicago  writes  that  there  was  an  increase,  due 
to  lack  of  employment.  Frederic  Almy,  of  Buffalo,  in  a  letter 
to  the  Hon.  Frank  Wade,  of  the  same  city,  written  in  November, 
1909,  speaks  of  the  decrease  of  desertion  as  follows:  "This  seems 
to  me  very  gratifying,  especially  when  we  remember  that  we 
have  had  two  years  of  hard  times,  when  desertion  would  naturally 
have  been  more  frequent."  I  fear  that  this  belief  is  not  founded 
upon  facts.  In  New  York  the  situation  seems  different;  hard  times 
and  consequent  unemployment  seem  to  have  very  little  relation 
to  desertion,  as  the  following  figures  will  show:  Between  Octo- 
ber, 1908,  and  April,  1909,  when  the  United  Hebrew  Charities 
was  subjected  to  the  heaviest  demands  in  the  history  of  the  society, 
and  when  those  who  applied  because  of  lack  of  work  reached 
unprecedentedly  high  figures,  the  number  of  desertions  was  hardly 
greater  than  during  the  same  period  of  the  present  year,  when 
industrial  conditions  were  normal.  In  October,  1908,  when  the 
total  number  of  new  cases  reached  451  and  138  were  due  to  lack 
of  work,  44  were  due  to  desertion.  In  November  there  were 
409  new  cases,  of  which  155  were  due  to  lack  of  work  and  35 
were  due  to  desertion.  In  December  the  figures  were  total  488, 
198  due  to  lack  of  work  and  29  to  desertion.  In  January  637 
was  the  total  number  of  new  cases — 243  because  of  lack  of  work 


64  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

and  37  due  to  desertion.  In  February  the  figures  were  456,  167 
and  35,  respectively.  In  March  418,  114  and  30.  During  the 
present  fiscal  year,  when  the  total  number  of  new  cases  in  Octo- 
ber was  212,  lack  of  work  was  the  cause  in  30  and  desertion  in 
33;  in  November  the  figures  were  287,  29  and  29,  respectively. 
In  December  384,  99  and  33,  respectively.  In  January  359,  89 
and  32,  respectively.  In  February  339,  300  and  15,  respectively. 
In  other  words,  for  the  first  six  months  of  the  last  fiscal  year, 
when  unemployment  was  general  and  the  new  lack  of  work  cases 
numbered  901,  the  total  number  of  desertion  cases  during  this 
period  was  180,  whereas  during  the  same  period  of  the  present 
fiscal  year,  with  industrial  conditions  normal,  the  number  of  lack 
of  work  cases  was  300,  or  less  than  one-third  of  the  whole  num- 
ber of  lack  of  work  cases  during  the  hard  times,  and  yet  the 
desertion  cases  numbered  150,  only  30  less  than  the  whole  num- 
ber of  the  desertion  cases  during  the  hard  times.  Or,  basing  the 
analysis  upon  the  total  number  of  new  cases,  we  find  that  during 
the  hard  times  of  the  2,441  new  cases  desertion  cases 'formed  a 
total  of  7.4  per  cent.;  whereas  during  the  good  times  they  num- 
ber, out  of  1,600  new  cases,  10.4  per  cent.  That  is,  though 
there  were  actually  fewer  desertion  cases  during  the  good  times, 
they  were  entirely  out  of  proportion  to  the  tremendous  decrease 
in  unemployment  cases.  The  experience  of  the  Jewish  Charities 
in  Philadelphia  shows  a  reduction  in  desertion  cases  during  hard 
times;  Max  Herzberg  writes  as  follows:  ""We  find  that  there  is 
less  desertion  when  work  is  slack  and  business  conditions  bad  than 
in  other  years;  men  rarely  desert  their  families  in  order  to  better 
their  condition;  the  hard-working  man  out  of  employment  is 
not  likely  to  run  away  and  leave  his  family  dependent  upon 
charity;  the  deserter  is  usually  immoral  or  shiftless,  and  in  bad 
times  he  is  not  apt  to  have  the  money  to  gratify  his  wandering 
proclivities."  Another  reason  advanced  for  this,  which  appears 
plausible,  may  be  that  during  the  hard  times  the  hard-working 
man  realizes  that  it  is  useless  for  him  to  go  elsewhere  in  this 
country,  because  the  chances  of  his  getting  work  elsewhere  are 
just  as  slim  as  they  are  in  his  home  city.  My  own  impression 
is  also  that  during  the  hard  times  relief  agencies  permit  un- 
employment to  be  a  legitimate  ground  for  the  granting  of  relief; 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  65 

in  other  words,  it  is  not  necessary  for  a  man  to  desert  his  family 
during  such  times  in  order  to  insure  aid  for  them  on  the  part 
of  the  charities. 

It  will  be  more  accurate  probably  to  attribute  the  cause  of 
the  25  per  cent,  of  desertion  cases  in  New  York  to  insufficient 
earnings  rather  than  to  lack  of  work.  Of  the  21  cases  where  lack 
of  employment  is  given  as  the  cause  of  the  86  recently  investi- 
gated cases,  the  average  weekly  earnings  of  the  man  while  em- 
ployed were  approximately  $9.30  and  the  number  of  persons  in 
the  family  averaged  4.  Of  these,  12  were  engaged  in  the  needle 
trade,  6  were  peddlers,  1  was  a  shoemaker,  1  a  tinsmith  and  1 
an  expressman's  helper. 

It  has  been  our  common  experience  that  the  birth  of  a  child 
or  the  expected  birth  of  a  child  is  a  frequent  incident  in  a  de- 
sertion; this  is  particularly  true  in  cases  of  lack  of  work  or  in- 
sufficient earnings.  In  the  1902  investigation  out  of  33  cases 
of  the  second  section  in  which  the  cause  was  lack  of  work,  this 
was  the  case  in  14,  or  about  40  per  cent.;  8  occurred  before  the 
wife's  accouchement  and  6  after. 

The  next  most  frequent  causes  for  desertion  are  incompatibility 
of  temper  and  interference  of  relatives,  the  latter  very  often  in- 
volved in  the  former.  Though  the  husband  is  partly  to  blame  in 
these  cases,  the  incompetence  and  ignorance  of  the  wife  and  in- 
discretion of  relatives  are  largely  at  fault;  economic  conditions 
is  also  frequently  a  subsidiary  cause.  The  following  extract 
from  my  report  of  1902  is  as  true  today  as  it  was  then.  "One 
need  but  visit  a  few  families  to  see  that  the  word  'home'  is  but 
a  mockery  for  the  dirty,  ill-smelling  rooms  in  which  many  of 
our  applicants  are  forced  to  live.  When  we  remember  the  typical 
housewife  must  wash,  iron  and  scrub,  must  prepare  her  children 
for  school,  must  usually  nurse  a  baby  and  in  addition  must  cook 
for  the  family,  we  cannot  expect  her  to  provide  an  attractive 
home  for  her  husband;  in  a  great  many  cases  the  husband  is 
employed  in  some  shop  or  factory  in  the  vicinity  of  Broadway 
(for  most  of  them  are  engaged  in  the  garment  trade)  and  so  is 
brought  in  contact  with  orderliness  and  cleanliness.  In  most 
cases  it  is  cheaper  for  the  man  to  have  his  noon-day  meal  in  a 
neighboring  restaurant,  where  for  25  cents,  or  20  cents  or  ever 


66  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

15  cents,  he  can  obtain  a  fairly  well  prepared  meal — not  a  meal 
truly  which  would  attract  the  fastidious,  but  in  reality  infinitely 
better  cooked  and  better  served  than  at  home.  The  man  becomes 
accustomed  to  his  separate  plate  and  his  cloth  napkin,  unheard 
of  luxuries  at  home;  the  aesthetic  sense  in  him  is  developed;  the 
meals  at  home  are  no  longer  appetizing;  apart  from  the  charac- 
ter and  service  of  the  food,  the  home  environment  becomes  most 
unattractive;  with  the  wash  tub  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  the 
clothes  hanging  up  near  the  stove  to  dry,  if  it  should  happen  to 
be  a  rainy  day,  the  wife  unkempt  and  fretful  and  the  children 
noisy.  All  these  things  have  their  effect  in  alienating  the  man's 
interest  from  his  family;  coming  in  contact  with  the  outer  world, 
the  husband  rises  to  a  higher  standard  of  living  and  he  finds  the 
'home'  atmosphere  decidedly  uncomfortable.  This  is  surely  true 
in  many  cases,  though  of  course  it  is  impossible  to  tabulate  figures 
which  will  show  in  just  how  many  cases  the  husband's  standard 
of  living  has  risen  above  that  of  his  wife."  In  cases  where  the 
husband  arrived  before  his  wife  the  likelihood  of  such  alienation 
obviously  is  greater.  Incompatibility  of  temper  seems  to  be  a 
frequent  reason  for  desertion  in  other  cities  of  the  country.  In 
St.  Louis  35  per  cent,  of  the  cases  are  attributed  to  this  cause; 
Chicago,  15  per  cent.;  Baltimore,  22  per  cent.;  San  Francisco, 
28  per  cent.;  Philadelphia,  30  per  cent.;  Cincinnati  only  8  per 
cent.,  but  only  12  cases  were  entertained  by  the  charities  of  that 
city  and  the  figures  are  not,  therefore,  indicative. 

Disparity  in  the  ages  of  husband  and  wife  is  undoubtedly  often 
conducive  to  a  discontent  which  results  in  family  abandonment. 
In  over  10  per  cent,  of  the  cases  investigated  in  1902,  the  wife 
confessed  herself  older  than  her  husband;  the  percentage  is  prob- 
ably much  higher.  It  would  naturally  be  expected  that  the  great- 
est number  of  those  whose  motives  for  abandonment  is  immo- 
rality would  show  a  disparity  of  age  as  a  subsidiary  cause.  A  table 
which  I  prepared  showing  the  relation  of  main  causes  to  other 
factors  has  unfortunately  been  lost,  but  I  recall  that  it  was  in 
cases  of  immorality  that  disparity  of  age  was  most  frequent.  Of 
the  250  cases  85  husbands  were  between  twenty  and  thirty  years 
of  age;  118  between  thirty- five  and  forty;  40  between  forty  and 
fifty  and  only  2  were  over  fifty.  Those  who  deserted  for  other 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OP   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  67 

women  were  largely  between  thirty  and  forty;  50  per  cent,  of 
the  husbands  were  between  these  ages,  25  per  cent,  between  twenty 
and  thirty  and  25  per  cent,  above  forty.  In  the  cases  investigated 
by  Mr.  Goldstein  only  one  was  discovered  where  there  was  a 
difference  between  the  ages  of  the  spouses.  In  this  case  the 
wife  was  thirty  years  old  and  the  husband  sixty.  Upon  inquiry 
as  to  why  she  married  so  old  a  man,  she  naively  explaind  that 
she  thought  this  was  a  sure  way  of  keeping  a  husband.  The  poor 
thing  was  wrong. 

It  was  pitiable  to  observe  that  in  50  out  of  the  62  cases  in 
which  the  cause  was  lack  of  employment  or  insufficient  earnings, 
the  husbands  were  below  the  age  of  forty,  at  a  time  when  they 
ought  to  have  been  best  fitted  to  fight  the  battle  of  life.  In  some 
cases  undoubtedly  the  men  were  industrially  inefficient;  in  many 
of  them,  however,  unfortunate  industrial  conditions  were  to  blame. 

In  those  families  which  were  disrupted  because  of  unpleasant 
and  conflicting  tempers  investigation  showed  that  about  60  per  cent, 
of  the  husbands  who  deserted  were  above  forty.  This  does  not 
indicate  necessarily  that  discontent  arose  after  many  years  of 
wedlock,  for  among  the  19  cases  in  which  the  man's  desertion 
was  due  to  incompatibility  of  temper  10  were  repeated  desertions, 
earlier  desertions  having  taken  place  while  the  men  were  still  quite 
young. 

It  is  astonishing  to  learn  that  with  a  number  of  husbands 
who  leave  wife  and  children  desertion  has  become  practically  a 
habit;  among  219  cases  37  men  deserted  twice,  9  three  times, 
6  four  times  and  20  more  than  four  times,  a  total  of  72,  or  nearly 
33  per  cent,  who  deserted  their  families  more  than  once.  More 
remarkable  is  it  still  to  observe  that  repeated  desertions  are  com- 
paratively rare  in  those  cases,  where  the  cause  for  desertion  is  to 
seek  work  (only  7  out  of  49). 

The  investigation  made  by  Mr.  Goldstein  shows  that  of  the 
21  cases  in  which  lack  of  work  was  the  cause,  only  2  had  de- 
serted before.  It  may  be  stated  generally  that  one  desertion  is 
usually  enough  for  a  man  whose  only  cause  for  leaving  his  family 
is  unemployment  or  insufficient  earnings.  Cases  of  repeated  de« 
sertion  are  very  frequent  where  the  cause  is  immorality.  The  1902 
investigation  showed  33  out  of  64,  over  50  per  cent. 


68  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

It  must  appear  strange  to  learn  that  repeated  desertions  are 
common  in  those  cases  where  the  cause  is  immorality.  It  is  no 
doubt  shocking  that  women,  once  deserted  for  other  women,  and 
in  a  number  of  cases  three  to  five  times,  are  willing  to  receive 
their  husbands  back  again.  This  is  evidence  of  lack  of  proper 
self-respect  on  the  one  hand  or  abject  poverty  on  the  other.  In 
a  number  of  cases  the  deserted  women  emphatically  declared  that 
they  would  never  again  become  reconciled  to  their  husbands,  but 
often  the  women  stated  that  as  they  could  not  themselves 
support  their  children,  they  would  be  willing  to  receive 
their  husbands  back  again  were  they  to  return.  In  one 
case  the  husband  had  remained  away  on  and  off  for  seven 
years,  and  had  lived  with  another  woman  during  these  intervals 
and  had  had  children  by  her,  but  had  meanwhile  supported  his 
wife  and  legitimate  children  by  weekly  allowances.  One  year 
prior  to  the  investigation  he  decided  to  return  for  good  to  his 
first  wife;  he  lived  with  her  for  nearly  a  year  and  then  left  her, 
but  never  failed  to  give  her  $6  a  week.  What  is  more  astonish- 
ing in  this  case  is  the  fact  that  when  the  husband  returned  for 
good  to  his  wife  he  brought  his  illegitimate  children  to  her  and 
she  willingly  cared  for  them,  though  their  mother  was  living. 

The  cause  for  desertion  in  this  case  was  not  originally  the  other 
woman,  but  incompatibility  of  temper.  After  he  had  deserted  he 
fell  in  with  the  woman,  had  two  children  by  her,  to  whom  he 
was  as  much  attached  as  to  his  legitimate  offspring.  The  parental 
love  which  induced  him  to  give  his  wife  a  weekly  allowance 
prompted  him  to  take  his  illegitimate  offspring  from  the  custody 
of  his  paramour,  who  was  unfit  to  care  for  them,  and  give  them 
in  charge  of  his  wife,  whom  he  disliked  but  respected.  The  wife, 
on  the  other  hand,  was  moved  by  feelings  of  pity  for  her  hus- 
band's illegitimate  children  and  so  was  willing  to  receive  them  in 
charge.  There  were  redeeming  qualities  both  in  the  husband  and 
the  wife. 

It  is  in  those  cases  where  the  cause  for  desertion  was  incom- 
patibility of  temper  that  we  expect  to  find  the  greatest  propor- 
tion of  repeated  desertions,  and  investigation  bears  out  our  ex- 
pectations. Ten  out  of  nineteen  were  cases  of  repeated  desertion. 
The  study  of  repeated  desertions  is  especially  valuable  in  directing 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  69 

the  manner  and  method  of  the  treatment  of  the  family;  such  a 
study  is  indispensable  in  each  individual  case,  for  upon  it  must 
the  visitor  largely  base  her  recommendation  of  relief. 

Another  correlative  factor  that  must  enter  into  the  wise  treat- 
ment of  a  deserted  family  is  the  study  of  the  length  of 
time  the  husband  has  remained  away  during  his  desertion.  It 
may  be  stated  as  a  general  rule  that  the  interval  of  desertion  in 
cases  of  oft  repeated  abandonment  is  nearly  arithmetical  in  its 
progression.  In  18  cases  in  which  the  husbands  returned  after  a 
search  for  work  not  one  had  remained  away  longer  than  six  months. 
Indeed,  13  were  away  less  than  one  month.  In  cases  where  other 
women  was  the  cause,  the  greater  number,  oddly  enough,  re- 
mained away  either  between  two  and  six  months  or  between  one 
and  two  years;  11  in  the  former  and  7  in  the  latter,  and  only 
2  between  seven  and  twelve  months  inclusive.  All  told,  the 
greatest  number  of  so-called  chronic  deserters  stayed  away  no 
longer  than  six  months;  more  than  half  of  the  whole  number 
of  returned  husbands  show  the  return  before  six  months.  In  only 
one  case  did  the  husband  remain  away  longer  than  two  years, 
and  the  cause  of  his  desertion  was  other  women.  In  the  17 
cases  which  applied  for  the  first  time  at  the  United  Hebrew 
Charities  of  New  York  in  1909,  but  who  did  not  repeat  their 
application  during  the  present  fiscal  year,  in  which  the  husband 
had  been  found  at  home  again,  none  had  remained  away  longer 
than  eleven  months;  7  remained  away  less  than  six  months.  The 
1902  investigation  showed  that  the  greatest  proportion  of  those 
who  returned  were  those  in  which  the  cause  was  gambling;  7 
had  deserted  for  this  reason  and  3  of  them  had  returned.  The 
next  highest  proportion  of  returned  husbands  was  among  those 
whose  cause  was  sickness  and  search  for  a  better  climate,  num- 
bering 3  out  of  9.  Out  of  the  62  cases  in  which  search  for 
work  was  the  cause,  18  returned,  and  not  one  of  these  18  had 
remained  away  longer  than  six  months.  Of  all  the  returned 
husbands,  numbering  36,  7  had  deserted  more  than  once;  in 
three  of  them  the  latest  desertion  was  the  second  one,  and  in 
the  other  four,  more  than  the  fourth.  In  the  other  cities  of  the 
country  the  proportion  of  desertion  repeaters  varies  somewhat. 
In  St.  Louis  85%  of  the  desertions  were  the  first,  10%  were 


70  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

the  second,  5%  the  third  or  more.  In  Chicago,  62%  deserted 
once,  10%  twice  and  8%  three  times  or  more.  In  Baltimore 
55%  were  the  first  offenders,  22%  second  and  22%  three  or 
more.  In  Philadelphia,  the  percentages  are  86,  9  and  5,  re- 
spectively. 

Among  the  factors  which  are  responsible  for  family  abandon- 
ment and  yet  which  cannot  be  said  to  be  the  chief  or  immediate 
cause,  there  are  several  which  stand  out  prominently,  such  as  the 
health  of  the  wife,  repeated  marriage,  and  vicious  companion- 
ship. To  illustrate,  in  the  1902  investigation,  it  was  found  that 
the  wife  suffered  from  some  chronic  ailment  or  physical  debility; 
in  46  cases  or  about  19%.  A  considerable  proportion  of  those 
were  probably  unable  to  continue  marital  relations.  In  Cin- 
cinnati, the  report  states  that  33%  were  in  this  condition;  in 
San  Francisco  7%  and  in  Philadelphia  5%. 

As  far  as  repeated  marriages  are  concerned,  it  is  of  interest 
to  know  that  in  the  cases  of  1902,  where  the  cause  was  unknown, 
numbering  12,  in  five  of  them  the  deserter  was  the  second  hus- 
band; of  those  cases  where  the  main  cause  was  interference  of 
relations,  numbering  12,  in  four  of  them  were  the  deserters  the 
second  husband. 

Nearly  as  interesting  as  the  question,  "Why  do  men  desert?" 
is  the  question,  "Why  do  men  return?"  Of  the  250  cases  in  1902, 
37  returned;  of  these  18  had  left  because  of  lack  of  work  or  in- 
sufficient earnings;  14  of  them  returned  because  the  prospects  of 
steady  work  or  higher  wages  were  no  better  elsewhere  than  in 
New  York;  in  three  they  had  returned  because  of  the  birth  of 
a  child;  one  returned  after  having  heard  of  the  sudden  death 
of  his  wife.  Of  those  who  had  left  because  of  incompatibility  of 
temper,  only  four  returned;  in  one  the  cause  of  his  return  was 
fear  of  prosecution,  in  the  other  three  ill  health  was  the  cause. 
Of  those  whom  gambling  had  seduced,  three  returned  in  remorse. 
Of  the  65  cases  in  which  immorality  was  thought  to  have  been 
the  cause,  five  returned.  In  two  the  real  cause  was  found  to 
be  incompatibility  of  temper,  leaving  three  husbands  where  the 
cause  had  been  correctly  surmised  at  first. 

Of  the  cases  investigated  by  Mr.  Goldstein,  six  returned  of 
their  own  accord.  In  five  the  cause  originally  given  was  lack  of 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF    JEWISH    CHAK1TIES.  71 

work;  in  four  of  these  the  return  of  the  husband  showed  the  cause 
to  have  been  correctly  given.  In  the  sixth  case  the  real 
cause  was  correctly  given — laziness.  In  the  seven  cases  where 
the  return  of  the  husband  was  secured  through  the  efforts  of  the 
Charities,  the  true  cause  had  not  been  given  in  two  cases.  In 
one  where  lack  of  work  had  been  stated  as  the  cause,  the  return 
of  the  husband  showed  the  man's  sickness  to  have  been  the  real 
cause.  In  one  where  bad  habits  was  the  alleged  reason,  it  proved 
to  be  incompatibility.  In  the  seven  cases  where  the  man  had 
been  arrested,  or  interviewed  and  threatened  with  arrest,  the 
real  cause  was  found  to  have  been  given  correctly.  In  thirteen 
cases  where  action  is  pending  and  the  whereabouts  of  the  husband 
is  known  in  only  one  case  as  far  as  could  be  ascertained,  was  the 
given  cause  not  the  true  one.  In  this  case  the  alleged  cause  was 
incompatibility;  the  real  cause  is  another  woman. 

REMEDIES. 

Many  who  have  been  dealing  with  desertion  have  sometimes 
felt  that  the  evil  might  be  checked  to  some  extent  if  the  relief 
agency  were  to  refuse  to  entertain  desertion  cases.  The  experience 
of  Cincinnati  would  indicate  that  such  a  plan  would  be  effective, 
though  Dr.  Bogen  was  unable  to  tell  accurately  just  how  effec- 
tive it  has  been  in  his  city.  When  asked  for  suggestions  as  to 
reducing  the  evil,  he  tersely  replied,  "Don't  handle  it  as  a  charity 
proposition."  The  Cincinnati  plan  is  a  drastic  method  which 
under  any  circumstances  could  be  applied  only  where  a  clear 
and  sympathetic  understanding  exists  with  a  public  agency  like 
the  Ohio  Humane  Society.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  such  a 
method  would  only  discourage  those  from  deserting  who  really 
care  for  their  families.  It  may  be  assumed  that  it  would  check 
those  who  desert  because  of  lack  of  work,  roving  disposition,  to 
seek  health  and  gambling,  which  form  about  one-third  the  num- 
ber of  cases.  It  would  discourage  some  also  undoubtedly,  who 
leave  for  more  reprehensible  reasons.  Eoughly  speaking,  such  a 
method  might  reduce  the  number  of  desertions  to  about  one- 
half.  But  the  expense  to  the  organization  would  by  no  means 
thereby  be  reduced  by  one-half.  For  those  who  have  the  inter- 
est of  their  families  at  heart  sufficiently  to  return  if  they  found 


72  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

them  denied  relief,  do  return  nevertheless  of  their  own  accord 
within  a  short  time.  And  their  families  are  only  a  temporary 
burden  to  the  Charities.  Only  a  small  percentage  of  deserted 
families  remain  a  permanent  burden.  Of  the  403  new  deser- 
tion cases  on  the  records  of  the  United  Hebrew  Charities  of 
New  York  in  the  fiscal  year  1908-1909,  only  54  or  13%  have 
applied  for  relief  this  year.  As  stated  before,  of  105  cases  vis- 
ited recently,  forming  a  considerable  number  of  last  year's  new 
desertion  cases  which  had  not  applied  this  year,  in  only  19  had 
we  knowledge  of  the  failure  of  the  husband  to  return;  in  69 
the  families  could  not  be  located,  and  even  if  it  cannot  be  as- 
sumed that  they  all  returned,  it  is  probable  that  the  great  ma- 
jority returned;  at  any  rate  they  did  not  apply  again  for  relief. 
It  is  true  that  the  United  Hebrew  Charities  of  New  York  has, 
at  the  present  time,  652  cases  of  desertion  where  the  first  ap- 
plication for  relief  was  made  more  than  one  year  ago,  but  these 
are  cases  largely  where  all  hope  of  the  husband's  return  is  lost, 
and  probably  where  even  the  rigid  policy  of  refusing  relief  would 
not  induce  them  to  return.  Many  of  them  may  no  longer  be 
living,  for  who  knows  how  many  of  these  deserted  women  are 
in  reality  widows,  their  husbands  having  met  with  sudden  or 
violent  deaths,  unknown  to  them.  The  United  Hebrew  Chari- 
ties of  New  York  has  80  desertion  cases  on  its  pension  lists,  who 
draw  in  round  figures  $1,000  per  month  in  relief.  Of  the  652 
cases  of  desertion  above  mentioned,  in  62  though  the  cause  of 
distress  this  year  is  desertion,  the  wives  applied  for  relief  in  pre- 
vious years  for  other  causes. 

Of  these  9  applied  for  a  different  cause  over  10  years  ago. 

«  «  Q  «  ((  «  «  «  Q  «  (( 

(I  «  g  «  II  ((  ((  «  Q  ((  <( 

((  ((  -I  (I  <(  ((  ((  «  IV  «  (( 

<e       «       2         "  "  "  "        "        R       (f        lt 

((  ((  A  (I  «  «  «  «  K  «  (( 

«  ((  o  «  «  «  '<  «  A  "  « 

tt       (t       2         <l  (<  f<  "        "        3       (t        u 

«  ((  -I    !-  (C  <(  <(  <(  l<  O  U  (< 

"      "     18        "  "          "  "       "       1  year      " 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  73 

Of  the  remaining  590  desertion  cases  whose  original  applica- 
tion over  a  year  ago  was  due  to  desertion, 

130  or  22.0%  applied  over  10  years  ago. 

26  4.4%  "  "  9  "        « 

21  3.5%  "  "  8  " 

32  5.4%  "  "  7  " 

40  6.7%  "  "  6  " 

47  7.9%  "  "  5  " 

40  6.7%  "  "  4  " 

61  10.3%  "  "  3  "        " 

95  16.0%  "  "  2  " 

98  16.6%  "  "  1  year    " 

Judging  by  our  experience  in  1902,  where  only  one  of  the  re- 
turning husbands  had  been  away  longer  than  two  years,  we  can 
reasonably  assume  that  a  man  who  remains  away  from  his  family 
over  two  years  will  not  be  brought  back  by  the  failure  of  a  relief  or- 
ganization to  support  his  family.  Therefore,  if  the  Cincinnati 
method  were  to  be  applied  in  New  York,  it  may  be  assumed  that 
68%  would  not  return.  Moreover,  of  the  32%  who  had  been 
away  less  than  three  years,  68%,  or  131,  judging  by 
previous  experience,  are  bound  to  remain  away  longer  than 
three  years,  leaving  only  62  cases  in  which  the  husband  might 
be  expected  to  return.  So  it  would  appear  that  the  Cincinnati 
method  would  discourage  only  the  temporary  deserter,  who  cost 
the  United  Hebrew  Charities  of  New  York  last  year  only  $1,750 
(leaving  $35,000  as  a  necessary  relief  expenditure  for  the  others), 
and  10%  of  the  permanent  desertion  cases  which  cost  the  or- 
ganization $3,500.  The  total  saving  therefore  by  applying  the 
Cincinnati  method  to  New  York,  if  successful  would  be  according 
to  this  analysis,  only  about  $5,000,  or  1/7  of  the  total  cost.  It 
is  not  our  desire  to  prevent  only  those  men  from  deserting  who 
rely  upon  the  Charities  to  assume  their  legal  and  moral  family 
responsibilities.  We  want  to  reach  that  much  larger  number  who 
desert  regardless  as  to  whether  the  Charities  care  for  their  fam- 
ilies or  not,  and  for  this  purpose  we  must  look  to  other  means. 

In  the  very  comprehensive  report  of  the  Committee  on  Deser- 
tion presented  to  the  National  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities  in 


74  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   81X111 

1900,  are  given  suggestions  to  prevent  or  reduce  the  evil  of  de- 
sertion. Briefly  summed  up,  they  are : 

First — Elevation  of  the  general  tone  of  our  co-religionists. 

Second — The  co-operation  of  the  various  Jewish  societies  in  fer- 
reting out  the  deserter,  and  the  proper  steps  towards  his  arrest 
and  rendition  to  his  residence  for  punishment. 

Third — Charity  societies  should  strive  to  influence  legislation 
in  different  states  to  make  abandonment  a  criminal  offense,  and 
to  insure  the  rendition  of  fugitive  husbands. 

Elevation  of  the  general  tone  of  a  community  is  a  slow  pro- 
cess. There  is  one  method  that  is  promising  of  quicker  results, 
and  that  lies  in  the  strong  hand  of  the  law.  At  the  time  this 
report  was  submitted,  the  law  in  most  States  was  not  very  help- 
ful. In  New  York  abandonment  of  wife  and  children  was  not  a 
crime;  it  was  only  disorderly  conduct  and  the  culprit  was  or- 
dered to  pay  a  specified  sum  weekly  for  the  support  of  his 
family.  He  was  placed  under  bonds  to  pay  this  money 
for  one  year.  If  he  could  not  procure  surety,  the  City  Magis- 
trate would  convict  him  as  a  disorderly  person  and  sentence  him 
to  imprisonment  for  not  longer  than  six  months.  As  an  in- 
stance of  our  powerlessness  at  that  time,  in  the  face  of  this  seri- 
ous evil,  I  cite  the  following  case: 

The  United  Hebrew  Charities  received  a  communication  from 
the  London  Board  of  Guardians  to  the  effect  that  among  their 
charges  was  a  woman  with  three  children,  who  had  come  from 
Russia  en  route  to  the  United  States,  in  order  to  find  her  hus- 
band who  is  in  New  York,  address  unknown,  and  asking  the 
United  Hebrew  Charites  to  look  the  man  up  and  let  them  know 
whether  it  was  advisable  to  have  them  send  the  wife  on 
to  New  York.  After  considerable  difficulty,  I  discovered  the 
man's  whereabouts,  found  him  living  with  another  woman,  and 
learned  the  following  as  the  result  of  a  thorough  investigation. 
That  the  man  had  given  his  wife  a  "ghet"  in  Russia  more  than 
ten  years  ago,  but  owing  to  his  love  for  the  children,  he  became 
reconciled  to  her  several  years  later.  After  a  time,  however,  she 
again  made  life  unbearable  for  him  and  he  left  for  New  York, 
but  sent  remittances  to  her  at  irregular  intervals.  In  New  York 
he  fell  in  with  an  attractive  widow,  with  whom  he  had  been 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF    JEWISH    CHARITIES.  75 

living  for  more  than  four  years,  and  for  whom  he  entertained  real 
affection.  He  was  willing  to  become  custodian  of  the  children. 
An  aunt  of  the  deserted  woman,  living  in  New  York,  asked  the 
United  Hebrew  Charities  to  recommend  her  niece's  transportation 
hither,  claiming  that  the  husband  would  live  with  the  wife  once 
she  arrived.  The  husband,  on  the  other  hand,  stated  positively  he 
would  not  live  with  her  and  that  if  she  came,  he  would  leave  the 
city.  He  was,  however,  willing  to  send  weekly  remittances  through 
the  United  Hebrew  Charities  of  $5  per  week,  on  condition  that  she 
remained  in  Europe.  This  case  brings  out  practically  all  the 
difficulties  bearing  on  desertion  at  that  time.  If  this  man  ceased 
sending  remittances,  he  could  have  done  so  with  impunity,  because 
under  the  law  as  it  was  then,  nobody  but  a  wife  could  be  a  com- 
petent witness  against  him.  If  his  wife  had  been  sent  here  and 
lie  had  become  aware  of  it,  he  could  have  gone  across  the  river 
to  Jersey  City,  out  of  New  York's  jurisdiction.  Being  a  painter,  he 
could  easily  have  found  work  in  any  city  and  it  would  have  been  a 
comparatively  easy  matter  for  him  to  go  from  one  State  to  another. 
No  matter  how  close  and  warm  the  co-operation  between  charity 
societies,  it  would  practically  be  impossible  to  discover  his  where- 
abouts. If,  on  the  other  hand,  we  would  have  had  his  wife  come 
over  without  his  knowledge,  have  helped  her  to  obtain  a  warrant  for 
his  arrest,  have  had  him  arrested  and  brought  before  the  Magistrate, 
the  latter  at  best  would  have  ordered  him  to  pay  a  specified  sum 
per  week  and  would  have  placed  him  under  bonds.  If  he  could 
not  obtain  a  bondsman,  he  would  have  gone  to  jail  for  six 
months  and  his  family  would  be  dependent  on  the  United  He- 
brew Charities,  because  in  the  Workhouse  the  man  is  made  to 
work  but  neither  he  nor  his  family  obtain  anything  for  his  labor. 
If  he  should  have  been  so  fortunate  as  to  obtain  a  bondsman, 
the  Court  would  have  ordered  him  to  pay  probably  $3.00,  $1.00 
per  child,  (the  man  claiming  to  earn  but  $12  per  week  in  busy 
season) — $2.00  less  than  what  the  United  Hebrew  Charities  suc- 
ceeded in  forcing  from  him,  and  then  after  a  year,  he  would 
have  left  the  city.  As  it  was,  he  sent  sufficient  for  the  support 
of  his  family  in  London  through  the  Charities  of  New  York,  but 
at  the  same  time  the  Society  was  forced  to  act  as  party  to  the 
illegitimate  relation  between  the  man  and  the  woman  with  whom 
he  then  lived. 


76  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE   SIXTH 

This  typical  case  shows  all  the  obstacles  existing  at  that  time 
in  the  way  of  overcoming  the  evil  of  desertion  by  legal  means. 
And  these  obstacles  exist  today  in  every  State  where  desertion 
is  not  an  extraditable  offense.  Fortunately  for  the  relief  organi- 
zations in  New  York,  largely  through  efforts  of  Dr.  Frankel, 
child  abandonment  was  made  an  extraditable  offense  in  1905, 
and  so  today  in  such  cases,  the  offender  cannot  escape  punish- 
ment by  leaving  the  State,  nor  is  it  necessary  for  the  wife  to 
be  a  witness  against  him.  Of  the  19  cases  in  which  the  de- 
serter returned  between  January  1st  and  March  15th  of  this 
year,  8  were  brought  back  by  the  threat  that  the  felony  law  would 
be  invoked,  5  were  arrested,  of  whom  3  were  extradited  through  the 
Desertion  Bureau  of  the  Educational  Alliance,  which  furnishes 
legal  assistance  to  the  Charities  in  these  cases.  Of  these  1  was 
extradited  from  Chicago  and  is  awaiting  trial,  and  the  other  2 
have  been  convicted,  one  under  suspended  sentence  to  pay  $10 
a  month  to  his  wife  and  child  and  one  serving  a  sentence  of  two 
years'  imprisonment  and  fined  $1,000. 

Since  the  law  went  into  effect  the  latter  end  of  1905,  the 
District  Attorney  of  New  York  entertained  up  to  January  1st, 
1910,  altogether  128  cases  of  child  abandonment.  Of  these,  in- 
dictments were  secured  in  93  cases  and  convictions  in  72;  up  to 
the  middle  of  last  year  the  District  Attorney's  office  displayed 
but  meagre  activity  in  the  direction  of  prosecuting  deserters  un- 
der the  felony  law.  It  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  effect  of  this 
law  upon  the  Charities.  From  the  following  figures  of  the  United 
Hebrew  Charities,  it  will  be  observed  that  the  actual  number  of 
desertion  cases  has  not  varied  much  during  the  last  seven  years, 
even  in  terms  of  total  number  of  cases: 

Desertion 
Year.  Cases.  Per  Cent.  Total. 

1903  1052        9.5       10,924 

1904  970        9.3       10,334 

1905  1124  11.2  10,015 

1906  1040  12.2  8,643 

1907  1006  11.0  8,970 

1908  1049  9.7  10,776 

1909  1046  10.1  10,296 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  77 

But  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  population  of  the  city  has 
increased  considerably,  it  appears  that  desertion  has  relatively 
decreased.  In  1902  the  Jewish  population  of  New  York  was  es- 
timated to  be  about  500,000.  Today,  the  population  probably  ex- 
ceeds 800,000.  In  1902  the  number  of  dependent  desertion  cases 
being  1,052,  was  .21<fo  of  the  total  Jewish  population  of  the  city. 
In  1909,  being  1,046,  it  formed  only  .13%  of  the  total  population. 

It  is  impossible  to  ascribe  the  relative  decrease  to  any  one  cause. 
The  establishment  of  a  Desertion  Bureau  has  probably  been  in- 
strumental to  some  extent  in  checking  the  growth  of  the  evil. 
The  felony  law  may  also  have  had  some  effect,  even  though  it 
has  not  been  energetically  administered. 

Of  late,  however,  with  a  new  district  attorney  in  office,  extradi- 
tions have  been  increasing  and  should  this  energetic  policy  be  con- 
tinued throughout  his  administration,  we  shall  at  its  expiration,  be 
better  enabled  to  determine  whether  the  felony  law  is  having  the 
desired  effect  as  a  deterrent.  Detroit  writes  that  child  abandon- 
ment is  a  felony  in  Michigan  and  because  of  this  law,  desertion  has 
been  reduced.  In  Ohio,  child  abandonment  is  a  felony  also,  yet 
the  Cincinnati  Charities  attribute  its  decrease  in  desertion  cases 
to  its  peculiar  method  of  treatment.  In  St.  Louis,  it  is  a  mis- 
demeanor and  Mr.  Seman  suggests  as  a  remedy  the  enactment  of 
the  felony  law.  In  Baltimore  also  it  is  a  misdemeanor,  and  the 
Society  says  it  can  therefore  secure  only  limited  support  from  the 
courts.  In  San  Francisco  it  is  a  felony,  the  law  having  been 
enacted  by  the  last  Legislature,  but  Mr.  Levy,  the  Superintendent 
of  the  Relief  Society  in  that  city  writes,  "it  is  ineffective  because 
the  case  must  first  come  before  the  police  judge,  who  invariably  re- 
leases the  offender  on  probation."  He  writes  furthermore  that 
police  and  superior  judges  look  with  disfavor  upon  the  law  making 
wife  desertion  a  felony  and  it  is  only  in  an  aggravated  case  that  a 
police  judge  will  permit  a  charge  of  felony  to  be  entered.  The 
man  is  usually  prosecuted  under  a  misdemeanor  charge,  and  if  at 
all  punished,  is  in  prison  for  a  few  days,  never  in  his  cases  for  over 
a  week.  In  Philadelphia  desertion  is  a  misdemeanor,  but  IB 
extraditable,  punishable  by  imprisonment  for  a  term  of  one  year 
and  also  an  order  against  the  man  for  the  support  of  the  wife, 
giving  the  same  advantages  for  prosecution  that  would  be  enjoyed 
if  the  law  were  a  felony. 


78 

It  has  been  maintained  that  a  misdemeanor  is  an  extraditable 
offense  and  that  it  would  be  far  better  if  emphatic  pressure  were 
brought  to  bear  upon  State  authorities  to  regard  it  as  such,  than  to 
make  the  offense  a  felony.  For  if  this  would  be  done,  the  culprit 
could  as  readily  be  apprehended  and  brought  to  justice  without 
placing  the  stigma  of  felon  upon  him,  and  through  him,  upon  his 
innocent  wife  and  children.  But  even  if  the  offense  be  extraditable 
the  evil  cannot  be  reduced  so  long  as  the  Courts  do  not  enforce  the 
law,  as  has  been  the  case  in  San  Francisco,  and  to  a  large  extent, 
in  New  York  City.  It  is  likely  that  by  concerted  effort,  a  suf- 
ficiently strong  public  sentiment  could  be  aroused  to  influence  the 
judicial  authorities  to  realize  the  gravity  of  the  problem.  But 
even  with  this  aroused  public  sentiment,  little  could  be  effected  so 
long  as  our  courts  are  overburdened  with  work  and  their  calendars 
clogged.  In  most  of  the  States  no  provision  is  made  for  public 
out-door  relief.  Therefore  the  financial  burden  of  the  evil  of 
desertion  is  not  felt  by  the  State,  but  by  the  private  relief  agencies. 
Because  the  public  shoe  does  not  pinch,  the  delinquents  are,  under 
present  conditions,  dealt  with  leniently,  hastily  and  in  haphazard 
fashion.  Possibly  one  method  to  arouse  the  courts  would  be  for 
relief  agencies  to  turn  the  families  of  deserters  over  to  the  public 
charities ;  but  this  would  in  most  States  mean  the  disruption  of  the 
family,  an  evil  more  serious  to  the  relief  agency  than  the  expense 
of  maintaining  the  family. 

Desertion  being  a  peculiar  form  of  delinquency  in  which  the  wife 
and  children  are  doubly  the  victims,  the  conviction  has  been  grow- 
ing that  special  provisions  should  be  made  for  State  supervision. 
The  conditions  of  the  Courts,  particularly  the  inferior  courts,  are 
anything  but  helpful  to  a  wise,  just  and  judicious  disposition  of  the 
cases.  In  many  courts  the  conditions  are  degrading.  Dissatisfac- 
tion with  the  conditions  in  New  York  has  produced  the  advocacy 
of  a  special  court  to  deal  with  all  cases  of  domestic  relations,  sug- 
gested, by  Bernhard  Kabbino  before  the  Society  of  Jewish 
Social  Workers  in  1905.  The  suggestion  has  been  submitted 
to  the  New  York  Legislative  Commission  to  inquire  into 
Inferior  Courts,  supported  in  a  modified  form  by  both  the  United 
Hebrew  Charities  and  the  Educational  Alliance.  With  the  exist- 
ence of  such  a  court,  the  law  of  desertion  could  be  modified  to 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  79 

meet  its  requirements,  possibly  without  stamping  the  offender  as 
a  felon,  and  yet  as  effective  as  the  law  making  the  offense  a  felony. 
It  is  commonly  agreed  that  in  desertion  cases  as  in  other  cases  of 
domestic  difficulties,  the  courts  should  be  employed  only  as  a  last 
resort.  A  special  court  of  this  character  would  probably  do  its 
most  effective  work  in  reconciling  the  deserter  to  his  family  and 
insuring  for  the  children  what  to  them  is  most  necessary, — the 
integrity  and  completeness  of  home  life. 

Probably  the  most  satisfactory  results  met  with  in  legal  attempts 
to  prevent  desertion  have  been  realized  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 
There  the  cases  have  been  handled  exclusively  by  the  Juvenile  Court 
and  as  far  as  that  Court  has  jurisdiction  over  cases  of  child  abandon- 
ment, no  questions  have  been  raised.  If  it  is  conceded  that  the 
Juvenile  Court  has  been  established  as  much  to  protect  children  as 
to  adjudicate  their  delinquencies,  the  trial  of  deserting  fathers 
would  logically  come  within  its  scope.  William  C.  Baldwin,  of 
Washington,  who  has  been  very  active  in  this  work,  wrote  me 
recently  that  20  per  cent,  of  all  the  cases  tried  there  in  the  Ju- 
venile Court  were  desertion  cases,  numbering  899 ;  that  of  these  147 
were  discharged,  38  were  reconciled,  106  imprisoned,  608  placed 
under  bond  to  support  the  wife.  As  is  seen,  it  is  only  in  a  small 
minority  of  the  cases  that  the  penalty  of  the  law  (making  the 
offense  a  misdemeanor)  was  inflicted.  In  the  vast  majority  the 
men  were  placed  under  suspended  sentence  for  the  support  of  the 
families.  For  the  past  3y%  years,  provision  in  the  law  has  been 
made  for  the  payment  of  fifty  cents  per  day  to  the  family  of  the 
imprisoned  men  for  each  day's  hard  labor  performed  while  under 
sentence,  and  as  the  law  always  requires  that  the  imprisonment 
shall  be  at  hard  labor,  this  gives  the  family  $3.00  per  week. 

The  excellent  results  obtained  are  due  largely,  he  writes,  to  this 
particular  provision  because  it  warrants  the  Judge  in  sentencing 
a  man  in  all  cases,  where  he  deserves  it,  without  being  influenced 
by  the  plea  of  a  relentless  wife  who  fears  that  if  the  man  is  im- 
prisoned, all  support  will  stop.  Since  the  law  was  enacted,  the 
total  collections  by  the  Court  for  men  under  suspended  sentence 
amounted  to  over  $80,000;  the  amount  earned  by  men  under 
sentence  by  hard  labor  and  paid  over  to  the  families  was  over 
$3,600. 


80  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

Mr.  Baldwin's  success  having  been  so  remarkable,  his  sugges- 
tions for  checking  the  evil  deserve  serious  consideration,  and  I 
therefore  quote  the  following  paragraph  of  his  letter  in  its  en- 
tirely : 

"As  to  suggestions  for  checking  the  evil,  the  first  requisite  is  an 
adequate  law  which  will  permit  the  Court  to  deal  with  the  family 
as  a  whole.  Any  law  which  by  referring  only  to  the  children 
excludes  the  wife  from  its  operation  is  unscientific  and  cannot  be 
satisfactory.  The  offense  should  not  be  felony  because  the  object 
is  not  to  punish  the  man  or  inflict  an  unnecessary  stigma  upon 
him,  but  to  oblige  him  to  properly  support  his  wife  and  children. 
The  provision  for  a  moderate  payment  to  the  family  while  the 
man  is  in  prison,  if  he  requires  punishment,  is  essential  because  it 
relieves  the  greatest  difficulty  in  the  administration  of  the  law, 
which  is  the  correlative  punishment  of  the  family  in  an  effort  to 
reach  the  offender.  Having  this  machinery,  the  court  is  likely 
to  take  a  greater  interest  in  such  cases  because  of  the  possibility 
of  effective  administration.  It  is  discouraging  to  a  magistrate, 
after  having  arrested  a  man  who,  as  the  evidence  clearly  shows 
should  be  punished,  to  have  the  wife  plead  that  he  be  given  another 
trial  and  all  the  work  which  has  been  done,  nullified  for  the  benefit 
of  a  man  who  is  simply  trying  to  escape  the  deserved  punishment. 
It  will  help  to  check  the  evil  if  instead  of  encouraging  the  impres- 
sion that  a  man  cannot  be  extradited  unless  the  offense  is  made  a 
felony,  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  the  deserter  should  be  and  can 
be,  with  proper  effort,  extradited  and  brought  back  to  every  State 
where  the  offense  is  a  misdemeanor.  Every  such  extradition  helps 
all  the  States  and  there  are  many  of  them  in  which  this  statute 
exists.  A  united  effort  in  this  direction  would  have  a  great  effect 
in  discouraging  desertion." 

With  a  comprehensive  law  like  that  enacted  in  Washington,  ad- 
ministered through  the  Juvenile  Court,  already  tried  and  found 
successful,  it  would  probably  be  wiser  to  advocate  a  similar  system 
in  the  other  cities  of  the  country  rather  than  to  urge  the  creation 
of  a  Domestic  Relations  Court,  which  has  not  yet  been  tried  and 
the  establishment  of  which  would  entail  increased  municipal 
budgets.  But  be  that  as  it  may,  it  cannot  be  doubted  in  the  light 
of  the  information  secured,  which  shows  that  family  desertion  is 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  81 

due  chiefly  to  the  self-indulgence  of  the  deserter,  that  the  hope  for 
the  reduction  of  the  evil  lies  not  with  the  charity  organization,  but 
with  the  State  or  Municipality.  Whereas,  the  problem  is  not  a 
Jewish  one  any  more  than  a  general  one,  all  organizations  affected 
should  unite  in  an  effort  to  secure  some  well  defined  plan  of 
action,  which  should  be  uniformly  applied  through  legislation  in 
all  the  States  of  the  Union. 

FORMS  FOR  STUDY  OF  DESERTION. 

(Similar  forms  to  be  followed  in  all  respects  by  the  non- Jewish 
charities  of  the  same  city.) 

EXTENT   OF   DESERTION. 

Total  number  of  applicants  for  the  year. 

Number  of  desertion  cases  for  the  year. 

Proportion  of  desertion  cases  to  total  number  of  cases. 

Total  relief  expenditures. 

Proportion  of  relief  expenditures  for  desertion  cases. 

Increase  or  decrease,  and  reason  therefor. 

CAUSES    OF    DESERTION. 

Subjective.  Objective. 

Immorality:  Search  for  work, 

(a)  of  husband.  Insufficient  wages. 

(b)  of  wife.  Interference  of  relatives. 

(c)  of  both.  Illness: 

Bad  habits  in  general.  (a)  husband's. 

Gambling.  (b)  wife's. 

Intemperance. 

Shiftlessness. 

Incompatibility  of  temper. 

SUBSIDIARY  CAUSES. 

(Each  to  be  arranged  in  relation  to  each  cause,  in  accordance 
with  attached  tabular  form.) 
Age  of  deserter. 
Occupation  and  earnings. 
Physical  condition. 


82  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

Interval  between  arrival  in  U.  S.  of  husband  and  wife. 

Difference  in  nativity  of  spouses. 

Disparity  in  age  between  spouses. 

Birth  of  child  an  incident. 

Frequency  of  desertion. 

Interval  of  desertions. 

Number  of  the  marriage. 

RETURN  OF  HUSBAND  IN  RELATION  TO  EACH  CAUSE. 

(Study  of  the  cases  applying  the  previous  who  have  not  applied 
this  year.) 

Occupation  of  deserter. 

Comparison  of  given  cause  with  cause  ascertained  after  return  of 
husband. 

Cause  of  return  in  comparison  with  cause  of  desertion. 

Length  of  time  deserter  was  away. 

THE  DESERTER  AND  THE  LAW. 

Quote  the  law  of  desertion. 

If  the  law  is  different  from  former  law,  has  it  reduced  the  evil  ? 

If  not,  why  not? 

Are  the  courts  helpful? 

Does  the  character  of  the  court  militate  against  a  proper  disposi- 
tion of  the  case? 

Is  provision  made  by  law  for  the  maintenance  of  family  during 
man's  incarceration? 

If  so,  what  allowance? 

How  many  cases  of  desertion  and  non-support  appeared  in  Court 
during  the  year  ? 

How  many  Jewish? 

Of  these,  How  many  dismissed? 

How  many  discharged  under  suspended  sentence? 
How  many  reconciled? 
How  many  imprisoned? 

Would  a  domestic  relations  court  be  helpful? 

Would  you  advise  these  cases  adjudicated  in  Juvenile  Court  ? 

Would  a  Central  Bureau  of  Information  concerning  deserters  bf 
helpful? 

Have  you  any  other  suggestions  to  offer  to  reduce  the  evil  ? 


ajojaq    po.\uj« 


•o3BIJ.rniH  pz  B.ajlj 


s.pnuqsnjj 


pnooag 


•UOIJJ393 


-non 

q?Jiq-p|iqo 


•jaannoA"  pneqsnjj 


ucq?  ajoca  ^B 


g   puB 


pan 


sqiuotn  9 


pun 


•eq^uoca  9  acq>  ssaj  XB 


•poq  nopcpuoo 


•poo8  uopjpuoo 


'01$  SAo 


•saptu 


Aiojaq  a3y 


0        «; 


i  * ; 

o  °  § 


£      o 


O    O    £    35    £ 


-a  IB  c;  « 

o  ttr  » 

S  g  5  § 

£  J2  £  5 


1    I 

B    £ 


84  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

* 

PRESIDENT  HOLLANDER  :  The  Conference  is  to  be  congratulated 
upon  having  heard  so  admirable  a  presentation  of  the  subject  and 
careful,  critical  analysis.  It  seems  to  me  to  present  exactly  the 
topic  to  take  up  and  engage  the  attention  of  this  Conference.  It 
has  been  supplied,  as  I  stated  at  the  outset,  to  several  members 
of  the  Conference,  at  whose  hands  it  will  receive  now  some  critical 
discussion.  Let  me  repeat  this:  That  in  the  interest  of  collective 
economy,  fifteen  minutes  will  be  permitted  as  the  maximum  to 
each  person  whose  name  appears  on  the  program.  Within  a 
minute  of  the  expiration  of  the  maximum  time  I  will  tap  the 
bell,  and  again  at  the  conclusion  of  the  fifteen,  minutes. 

DISCUSSION. 
By  MAX  SENIOR, 

CINCINNATI,    OHIO. 

After  the  able  paper  that  Mr.  Waldman  has  given  us,  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  add  anything. 

New  York  experiences  are  unquestionably  unique.  No  other 
city  can  offer  such  a  wealth  of  material.  A  city  which  refuses 
to  adopt  federation,  and  which  calmly  rejects  a  million-dollar 
gift  must  necessarily  be  in  a  class  by  itself. 

It  must  be  pointed  out  that  in  villages  like  Cincinnati,  with 
limited  experience,  where  perhaps  one  or  two  cases  will  suffice  to 
provide  the  basis  for  statistics  for  a  certain  year,  statistics  are  of 
little  value. 

Let  us  bear  in  mind,  while  considering  the  extent  of  desertion 
among  Jews,  that  not  all  Jewish  cases  or  Gentile  cases  come  to 
the  various  charitable  organizations,  and  that  probably  in  con- 
sidering the  morality  of  Jews  it  would  be  well  to  take  into  con- 
sideration the  records  of  the  divorce  courts,  as  well  as  the  records 
of  the  charitable  organizations. 

The  little  town  which  I  represent  has  comparatively  little  to 
offer  in  connection  with  this  discussion.  The  total  number  of 
desertion  cases  on  our  pension  list  is  only  four.  In  all  these  four 
cases  there  was  normal  delinquency  on  the  part  of  the  husband. 
There  is  an  unique  feature  in  our  handling  of  the  ordinary  deser- 
tion cases:  A  woman,  applying  to  our  charitable  organization 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  85 

and  stating  that  her  husband  has  deserted,  is  informed  that  the 
charitable  organization  does  not  extend  any  help  whatever  to  de- 
serted women — that  the  woman  must  apply  to  the  Ohio  Humane 
Society  for  advice  and  relief.  The  Ohio  Humane  Society  is  an 
organization  chartered  under  the  State  of  Ohio  to  do  work  of  this 
character,  to  bring  the  delinquent  husband  to  task  and  provides 
the  machinery  by  which  they  may  be  compelled  to  do  their  duty 
by  their  families.  The  object,  of  course,  is  this — we  feel  that 
there  is  a  tendency  on  the  part  of  Jews  to  rely  upon  the  charitable 
organizations;  that  there  is  a  great  disinclination  to  go  to  law, 
and  especially  to  a  man  who  wears  a  blue  uniform,  which  the 
officers  of  the  Humane  Society  wear.  On  applying  to  the  Humane 
Society,  the  first  demand  made  is  that  the  woman  shall  swear  out 
a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  her  husband  for  desertion,  which  she 
is  naturally  very  much  disinclined  to  do.  In  the  course  of  a  short 
time,  if  the  desertion  is  not  a  permanent  desertion,  this  action 
brings  news  of  the  husband.  In  a  large  proportion  of  the  cases 
we  have  had,  the  woman  does  during  the  course  of  a  month  become 
aware  of  the  whereabouts  of  her  husband,  and  we  have  found  that 
this  method  brings  the  information  quicker  than  we  would  be 
able  to  get  it  ourselves. 

I  will  say  that  support  is  given  the  deserted  family,  by  us. 
through  the  Humane  Society,  but  the  family  is  not  aware  of  the 
fact  that  we  pay  the  bill. 

I  find  that  in  the  limited  number  of  cases  that  we  have  had — 
in  1908  I  think  there  were  18  or  20 — the  husbands  returned  or 
were  reunited  with  the  family  in  some  other  city  in  all  except  2 
cases  within  60  days.  So  that  in  a  large  proportion  of  the  cases 
the  desertion  was  not  due  to  delinquency.  In  almost  all  cases  the 
family  had  been  known  to  be  receiving  charitable  assistance  before 
the  desertion  took  place.  It  would  seem  to  me,  therefore,  that  the 
majority  of  Jewish  desertions  are  due  to  insufficient  earnings. 
It  is  rather  hard,  and  in  some  cases  impossible  for  the  husband  to 
support  the  family;  he  moves  on  to  other  points  to  improve  his 
condition,  and  this  is  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  in  many  cases 
the  desertion  is  coincident  with  the  birth  of  a  child,  which  im- 
poses new  burdens  on  the  family. 


86  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

One  other  thing  in  connection  with  this  subject  occurs  to  me,  that 
it  would  be  exceedingly  necessary  to  arrive  at  a  definite  definition 
of  what  you  would  call  desertion.  The  Cincinnati  organization's 
definition  of  desertion  is  that  the  man  leaves  the  city  and  leaves 
his  wife  without  means  for  a  period  of  time,  no  matter  how  short, 
even  though  the  woman  may  be  at  all  times  cognizant  of  the 
whereabouts  of  her  husband.  It  seems  to  me  that  if  you  are  going 
to  make  a  statistical  study  it  is  necessary  first  to  establish  this 
definition  as  a  basis  of  your  work,  and  as  long  as  it  is  not  estab- 
lished, it  seems  to  me  that  the  statistics  of  Baltimore,  New  York, 
San  Francisco  and  other  places  would  be  valueless. 

DISCUSSION"—  (Continued). 
By  BENJAMIN  TUSKA,  ESQ., 

NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 

A  consideration  of  Mr.  Waldman's  masterly  treatise  has  led  me 
to  write  down  a  few  of  the  thoughts  it  has  suggested,  and,  with 
your  permission,  I  shall  read  them  to  you. 

The  primary  reason  for  considering  the  problem  of  desertion 
at  a  conference  of  philanthropic  workers  is  not  because  of  the 
religious,  social  or  moral  questions  involved,  but  that  of  dependency. 

Were  it  not  for  the  demands  either  upon  public  or  private  charity 
or  upon  the  bounty  of  relatives  and  friends  that  desertion  cases  en- 
tail, there  would  be  none  but  ethical  or  philosophical  aspects  to 
the  problem.  Desertion — it  is  necessary  to  recall  an  obvious  fact — 
is  not  limited  to  the  poor.  In  one  form  or  another  it  pervades  all 
classes  of  society.  It  is,  however,  among  the  proletariat  that,  when 
desertion  takes  place,  a  case  arises  for  charitable  relief. 

In  other  words,  it  is  not  that  we  are  considering  desertion,  but 
desertion  coupled  with  non-support.  Not  because  of  desertion, 
but  on  account  of  the  element  of  non-support,  charity  must  inter- 
vene and  society  must  be  protected  by  law. 

If  we  will  fasten  clearly  in  our  minds  this  distinction,  we  shall 
be  able  to  approach  the  problem  whenever  it  arises  in  a  more 
honest,  open  and  human  way.  . 

Open  because  our  view  will  not  be  warped  by  prejudice  or 
passion  that  arise  from  the  indignation  we  necessarily  feel  because 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  87 

of  the  deserted  wife  and  child,  and  human  because  it  will  be 
affected  by  some  of  the  considerations  that  at  times  drive  even 
the  poor  to  separate  as  well  as  the  rich. 

In  his  admirable  paper,  Mr.  Waldman  made  an  exhaustive  classi- 
fication of  the  causes  of  desertion,  as  gathered  from  numerous 
cases  coming  under  his  observation.  These  I  should,  however, 
summarize  as  follows: 

Economic  conditions,  health,  incompatibility,  misunderstandings, 
dissipation,  immorality,  adventurousiiess,  early  foreign  marriages, 
immigration  of  the  husband  ahead  of  his  family. 

After  all,  the  causes  are  not  the  things  with  which  we  are  con- 
cerned so  much  as  the  results.  The  cause  can  only  move  our  pity, 
call  forth  our  resentment  or  have  an  effect  upon  our  bounty. 

You  will  readily  see  the  universality  of  social  law.  Those  men- 
tioned are  causes  of  separation  among  the  favored  classes  as  well 
as  among  our  humbler  fellow-beings.  When  it  comes  to  natural 
law,  there  seems  to  be  the  same  for  the  rich  as  for  the  poor.  You 
create  absolutely  no  essential  distinction  by  calling  it  separation  in 
one  case  and  desertion  in  the  other.  Where  the  prosperous  man 
has  decided  to  leave  his  wife,  if  he  does  not  arrange  with  her,  her 
lawyers  arrange  with  him.  He  has  the  wherewithal  to  make  the 
arrangements,  and  her  lawyers  have  an  object  in  fighting.  When 
desertion  takes  place  among  the  poor,  there  being  usually  nothing 
for  the  family  to  live  upon  but  the  current  joint  earnings,  the  wife 
cannot  afford  to  engage  the  compelling  power  of  private  law,  but 
is  obliged  to  appeal  to  the  commissioners  of  charity  or  the  over- 
seers of  the  poor,  and  these  officials,  to  protect  the  purse  of  the  town 
or  county,  undertake,  if  the  deserter  is  within  their  jurisdiction, 
to  have  him  bound  over  to  pay  a  small  weekly  amount  toward  the 
support  of  wife  and  children. 

Out  of  this  practice  there  has,  in  most  places,  been  developed, 
by  legislation,  of  course,  a  procedure  in  police  courts,  before  justices 
of  the  peace  and  committing  magistrates,  of  holding  the  deserter 
in  default  of  a  bond  to  contribute  toward  the  support  of  the  family. 
Just  to  what  lengths  magistrates  will  go  in  order  to  enforce  the 
law  depends  to  some  extent  upon  the  temperament  of  the  official 
and  his  viewpoint,  but  to  a  greater  degree  upon  the  complainant. 


88  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

In  most  instances  the  latter  is  the  wife.  Commitment  of  the  hus- 
band is  about  the  worst  thing  that  could  happen  to  her,  and  she 
knows  it.  The  position  is,  of  course,  different  if  the  wife  and 
children  become  public  charges.  There  the  complainant,  as  well 
as  the  informant,  is  the  community.  The  communal  and  legal 
standpoint  is  the  one  dictated  by  self-interest.  We  must  save  the 
community  the  expense.  So  long  as  the  city  does  not  have  to  pay, 
the  courts  will  not  be  more  eager  than  the  wife  to  hold  the  deserter. 

Now  this  is  a  condition  of  public  mind  for  which  private  charity, 
organized  or  otherwise,  seems  to  be  responsible,  for,  on  account  of 
the  activity  of  charity,  private  or  organized,  in  giving  relief  to 
deserted  families,  courts  are  not  anxious  to  inflict  punishment, 
except  in  those  cases  where  the  prosecution  has  been  initiated  by 
public  officers.  With  the  growth  in  our  cities  of  huge  philanthropic 
societies,  the  result  of  this  tacit  policy  has  been  to  transfer  to  the 
charities  more  and  more  of  the  public  burdens,  so  that  eventually 
these,  in  turn,  have  found  themselves  confronted  with  this  great 
and  growing  problem  of  desertion,  coupled  with  non-support — in 
other  words,  of  abandonment.  The  causes  that  ordinarily  bring 
about  desertion  in  a  homogeneous  community  act  in  a  more  aggra- 
vated way  in  the  large  cities  that  for  years  have  been  receiving 
enormous  foreign  immigration.  The  problem  grows,  the  demands 
for  relief  increase  in  geometrical  proportions,  while  the  funds  of 
charity  only  in  arithmetical  ratio.  What  was  personal  in  the  alms- 
giving of  a  generation  ago  becomes  a  tax,  and  we  all  know  that 
tax-dodging  is  not  confined  to  the  imports,  excises  and  taxes  that 
are  levied  by  governmental  authority. 

So  scientific  charity,  to  which  Mr.  Waldman  has  alluded,  but 
which  has  almost  become  a  screen  behind  which  to  shelter  scientific 
selfishness,  steps  in  to  contrive  a  remedy.  The  same  impulse  that 
has  led  to  the  protection  of  the  town  from  those  thrust  upon  it 
seizes  organized  charity,  and  we  have  laws,  promoted  by  private 
charities,  making  abandonment  a  crime. 

It  is  a  peculiar  thing  in  New  York  City,  but  perhaps  it  is  true 
of  the  country  generally,  viz,  that  what  I  shall  have  to  call  the 
Missouri  doctrine  is  applied  to  every  bit  of  new  legislation;  that 
the  public,  including  those  charged  with  the  enforcement  of  laws 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  89 

do  not,  or  pretend  not  to,  believe  that  a  legislative  enactment  is 
really  a  law  until  the  courts  actually  prove  it  to  them.  Therefore, 
you  will  not  be  surprised  that  when,  after  the  passage  of  the  New 
York  law  of  1905  against  abandonment,  the  Educational  Alliance, 
through  its  Legal  Aid  Bureau,  undertook  to  bring  flagrant  cases 
of  desertion,  coupled  with  destitution,  before  the  District  Attorney 
for  indictment  and  extradition,  that  official  was  slow  to  act,  being 
impressed  with  the  idea  that  the  funds  at  hand  for  extradition 
would  better  be  used  for  offenses  of  a  more  public  character  than 
abandonment,  and  perhaps  that  the  statutory  declaration  of  the 
criminal  character  of  abandonment  was  sufficient  to  operate  as  a 
self-executing  reformation  of  society  in  that  particular. 

The  history  of  the  work  among  our  people  in  New  York  will 
be  of  some  interest  to  this  gathering. 

In  1899  the  Educational  Alliance  undertook,  in  an  experimental 
way,  the  conduct  of  a  legal  aid  dispensary.  About  twenty  lawyers 
divided  up  Sundays  for  several  months.  There  was  found  to  be 
a  real  need.  We  kept  telling  the  public  from  time  to  time  of  this 
need  until  at  last  there  was  a  response.  A  broad-minded  philan- 
thropist from  Pittsburg,  Henry  Phipps,  came  forward  with  the 
sum  of  $2,500  for  this  work.  The  Bureau  was  organized  in  1902. 
Of  course,  it  has  grown.  At  times  the  staff  has  consisted  of  three — 
now  only  two — paid  lawyers,  three  or  four  stenographers,  a  clerk — 
who  is  also  an  investigator — an  office  boy  and  a  process  server.  Mr. 
Phipps  has  annually  made  to  us  the  donation  with  which  we  were 
enabled  to  begin  the  work,  not  to  mention  his  other  benefactions 
for  our  general  purposes. 

From  the  start  we  found  that  marital  cases  constituted  a  fair 
proportion  of  the  business.  Our  policy  was  conciliation  where  the 
issue  was  domestic  difference,  and  where  it  was  non-support  applica- 
tion to  a  magistrate  when  moral  suasion  and  threats  proved  power- 
less. We  also  had  abandonment  cases,  but  for  lack  of  funds  could 
do  very  little  beyond  corresponding  with  other  agencies  where  the 
deserter  had  left  the  city.  It  was  then  that  we  promoted  legislation 
against  abandonment.  During  this  time  the  United  Hebrew 
Charities  had  a  great  many  cases  of  destitution  due  to  abandon- 
ment. It  was  extending  relief  to  deserted  families,  making  in- 


90  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE   SIXTH 

vestigations,  and  in  many  instances  providing  the  transportation 
for  the  wife  to  reach  the  deserting  spouse.  To  avoid  duplication 
an  agreement  was  reached  whereby  for  one  year  we  were  to  take 
over  all  of  its  desertion  work,  creating  a  special  bureau  for  that 
purpose,  the  Charities  contributing  toward  its  support  and  pro- 
viding transportation  wherever  needed.  This  arrangement  worked 
well  for  that  year,  after  which  its  own  necessities  led  to  the  with- 
drawal of  the  monetary  support  of  the  Charities,  though,  in  justice 
to  that  body,  it  must  be  said,  it  did  not  deprive  the  Alliance  of 
the  work.  From  that  time  on  the  Educational  Alliance  has  been 
charged  with  the  legal  end  of  the  abandonment  cases.  In  March 
of  this  year  the  relationship  of  the  two  societies  was  defined  in 
the  following  protocol : 

First,  the  applicant  who  claims  to  have  been  abandoned  and 
is  in  need  of  immediate  assistance  is  to  be  referred  to  the  United 
Hebrew  Charities. 

Second,  cases  where  the  applicant  is  not  in  need  of  relief  are 
to  be  taken  up  by  the  Educational  Alliance  as  usual. 

Third,  cases  taken  up  by  the  Educational  Alliance  that  turn 
out  to  need  relief  are  to  be  referred  to  the  United  Hebrew  Charities 
with  full  report  of  the  investigations  of  the  Educational  Alliance. 

Fourth,  all  legal  work  in  connection  with  abandonment  cases 
whether  in  the  hands  of  the  United  Hebrew  Charities  or  the 
Educational  Alliance  is  to  be  performed  either  by  the  Educational 
Alliance  or  in  its  name. 

About  a  year  ago  we  consolidated  and  reorganized  the  Legal  Aid 
and  Desertion  Bureaus,  and  they  are  now  under  the  able  manage- 
ment of  Mr.  Sobel,  who  is  to  read  you  a  paper  upon  legal  aid  work. 

The  methods  that  have  been  found  by  our  Legal  Aid  Bureau 
to  work  well  in  practice  consist  in  taking  the  statement  of  the 
deserted  woman  and  her  friends,  investigating  the  facts,  tracing 
the  husband  in  town  and  if  out  of  town  communicating  with 
Jewish  relief  organizations,  if  any,  in  the  place  where  the  husband 
is  supposed  to  be,  and  if  there  be  no  such  charitable  society  then 
getting  in  touch  with  the  local  congregation  or  the  local  lodge,  if 
there  be  any.  If  no  trace  of  the  deserter  is  found,  an  account, 
together  with  a  photograph  of  the  missing  man,  is  published  in 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  91 

the  Yiddish  press,  who  have  placed  their  columns  at  our  dis- 
position gratis.  If  the  husband  is  found  in  or  near  the  city  of 
New  York  efforts  are  made  to  bring  him  to  a  sense  of  duty  through 
personal  appeal.  Not  infrequently  that  results  in  some  arrange- 
ment satisfactory  to  the  wife.  Failing  that,  there  are  Magistrates' 
Courts,  and  in  serious  cases  theDistrict- Attorney's  office.  Sometimes 
indictments  are  procured  against  runaways.  Sometimes  the 
authorities  at  the  place  where  the  deserter  is  found  are  asked  to 
act.  In  the  latter  event,  there  is  the  expense  of  sending  out  the 
wife;  in  the  former,  of  sending  out  an  officer  in  connection  with 
extradition.  Where  the  wife  has  been  sent  out  to  prosecute  on 
the  spot,  the  expenses  have  had  to  be  met  by  the  Charities;  where 
an  officer  has  been  sent  out  to  bring  back  the  indicted  deserter,  we 
have,  as  within  the  last  few  days  in  a  case  located  in  Detroit, 
provided  the  fare  without  the  State.  Since  the  present  year  a 
more  liberal  view  of  expenditures  has  been  taken  by  the  District- 
Attorney,  but  there  is  still  a  difference  in  degree  of  liberality  be- 
tween the  prosecuting  officers  of  Brooklyn  and  New  York.  The 
particular  method  to  be  adopted,  that  is,  whether  the  wife  should 
be  sent  to  meet  her  husband  or  the  husband  brought  back  to  face 
his  wife,  depends  entirely  upon  all  the  circumstances  in  each 
specific  case. 

For  the  obvious  reason  that  relief  of  the  family  rather  than 
punishment  of  the  offender  is  desired,  resort  to  drastic  measures 
is  not  had  by  the  Educational  Alliance,  except  in  extreme  cases. 

That  you  may  have  an  idea  of  what  is  doing  by  way  of  prosecu- 
tion, let  me  refer  to  a  report  made  to  me  in  the  month  of  March 
of  this  year. 

S  vs.  S,  husband  extradited  from  Detroit,  and  failing  to  file  a 
bond  satisfactory  to  the  Legal  Aid  Bureau  was  sentenced  to  not 
less  than  one  year  and  not  more  than  two  years  and  in  addition 
to  pay  a  fine  of  $1,000. 

In  re  Z,  precisely  the  same  disposition  was  made  as  in  S  vs.  S. 

In  re  F,  in  the  U.  S.  Army  in  Virginia,  after  assigning  $10  of 
his  monthly  pay,  sentence  was  suspended  to  enable  him  to  serve 
out  his  enlistment  and  obtain  an  honorable  discharge. 


92  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

In  re  N,  the  wife  was  sent  to  Albany,  where  it  was  found  that 
the  husband  had  another  wife.  Upon  his  plea  of  guilty  he  was 
sentenced  to  three  years. 

These  cases  have  been  widely  advertised  in  the  Yiddish  press 
for  their  deterrent  effect. 

Our  greatest  trouble  consists  in  the  effort  to  avoid  becoming  a 
divorce  bureau.  Many  a  deserted  wife  does  not  so  much  want 
support  as  she  craves  freedom  so  as  to  marry  again.  The  im- 
portunities to  render  assistance  in  such  cases  are  great,  but  we  must 
leave  the  clients  to  seek  other  counsel.  It  sometimes  happens  that 
a  deserter,  through  his  representatives,  will  offer  adequate  provision 
for  support  if  only  the  wife  will  sue  for  divorce.  These  are  very 
delicate  questions,  and,  while  the  Bureau  does  not  shirk  its  duty, 
it  does  not  desire  the  business. 

We  are  constantly  in  receipt  of  letters  from  husbands  and  their 
friends,  stating  their  side  of  the  case  and  asking  assistance. 
Recently  a  man  came  on  from  Iowa  to  explain  his  brother's  side. 

Such  is  the  position  that  the  Bureau  has  made  for  itself  that  it 
is  frequently  consulted  by  the  District-Attorney  and  Judges  of 
the  General  Sessions,  as  well  as  by  philanthropic  workers  through- 
out the  country. 

The  question  of  abandonment  is  complicated  so  far  as  the  or- 
thodox Jewish  immigrant  is  concerned  by  two  propositions.  (1) 
The  validity  of  his  marriage  from  a  civil  viewpoint  in  the  land  of 
his  origin;  (2)  his  right  to  rely  upon  the  "get"  or  ritual  or 
religious  divorce.  In  several  of  the  countries  of  Continental  Eu- 
rope for  marriage  to  be  valid  it  is  not  enough  that  it  be  solemnized 
by  a  minister,  there  must  be  the  civil  ceremony.  Hence,  as  in 
Matter  of  Hall,  61  App.  Div.  2G6,  parties  have  found  themselves 
on  arriving  in  America  not  legally  married,  except  in  those  States 
where  the  courts  have  approved  unregulated  common-law  marriage. 
Therefore,  when  a  party  to  such  a  marriage  decamps  there  is  apt 
not  to  be  abandonment  in  the  criminal  sense,  nor  in  the  view  of 
the  Poor  Law.  It  has  likewise  been  held  that  the  "get"  or  ritual 
divorce,  if  valid  in  the  foreign  jurisdiction,  will  be  given  effect 
in  the  courts  of  New  York.  (Leshinsky  vs.  Leshinslcy,  5  Misc.  495.) 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE  OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  93 

Now  the  immigrant  from  Eussia  or  Southeastern  Europe  finds 
himself  occasionally  in  this  dilemma.  A  foreign  rabbinical  divorce 
may  be  respected  just  as  is  a  foreign  religious  marriage.  In  his 
own  country  the  rabbi  is  officially  recognized  as  the  legal  head  of 
the  local  Jewish  congregation,  and  as  such  may  dispense  justice  in 
his  community,  solemnize  marriages,  grant  divorces  and  perform 
other  acts  which  will  be  valid;  and  this  immigrant,  brought  up 
under  such  institutions,  regarding  the  acts  of  his  rabbi  as  not 
merely  religious,  but  legal,  brings  these  ideas  and  institutions  with 
him  to  America,  which  he  understands  is  the  land  of  religious 
liberty,  and  undertakes  to  practise  them  here  sometimes  with 
disastrous  results,  by  reason  of  the  failure  to  appreciate  that  re- 
ligious liberty  has,  under  our  law,  a  well-defined  meaning,  and  that 
wherever  it  invades  the  rights  of  the  community  or  runs  counter 
to  public  policy  the  individual  must  yield. 

There  was  a  practice,  not  very  extensive,  but  sufficient  to  be 
called  to  the  attention  of  the  Legal  Aid  Bureau  of  the  Alliance,  of 
granting  these  religious  divorces.  That  has  been  stopped  in  New 
York  through  a  law  which  the  Alliance  was  instrumental  in  having 
enacted,  making  it  a  misdemeanor  for  any  person  to  assume  to 
issue  a  bill  of  divorce  before  the  parties  had  obtained  a  divorce  in 
the  civil  courts. 

What  with  organized  charity  doing  for  the  community — and 
much  remains  to  be  done,  but  if  systematized  relief  did  all  that 
the  claims  upon  it  demand,  require  and  are  entitled  to — misery, 
while  alleviated,  would  not  be  extinguished.  There  will  always 
be  enough  for  gentle  souls  to  do ;  there  will  always  be  place  for 
personal  and  private  charity,  growing  out  of  love  for  one's  fellow- 
man,  as  distinguished  from  the  relief  afforded  by  organized  society 
and  societies  from  a  sense  of  duty  and  of  self-preservation.  It  is 
true  that  private  charity  may  go  by  favor,  but  that  is  its  privilege. 
The  funds  of  communal  institutions,  however,  must  be  applied 
along  lines  planned  with  respect  to  the  amount  that  can  be  obtained 
and  the  amelioration  of  destitution,  together  with  treatment  of 
its  cause. 

With  some  of  Mr.  Waldman's  conclusions  I  find  myself  in 
accord;  to  others  I  must  dissent.  His  stiggested  general  classifica- 
tion is  valuable.  Desertion  is  caused  bv  outside  conditions  such 


94  PROCEEDINGS   OP   THE   SIXTH 

as  economic  pressure  and  by  personal  weakness,  of  which  there 
are  many  examples.  That  there  is  very  much  value  in  a  statistical 
study  of  the  various  specific  causes,  I  cannot  admit.  That  the 
money  of  charitable  societies  should  be  so  employed,  I  protest. 
Your  desertion  census  is  not  going  to  bring  about  the  millenium 
nor  even  alleviate  the  trouble.  Desertion  is  one  of  those  evils  of 
human  nature,  ineradicable  so  long  as  present  social  and  economic 
conditions  prevail.  The  vast  number  of  desertions  seem  in  one 
way  or  another  traceable  to  economic  stress,  whether  that  be  the 
proximate  cause  of  the  desertion  or  the  remote  cause  through  an 
improvident  or  an  affectionless  marriage. 

It  is  the  lesser  number  that  are  distinctly  attributable  to  human 
weakness  and  a  still  less  number  directly  to  downright  viciousness. 
Where  you  have  the  latter,  the  community  does  not  suffer  by 
prosecution  of  the  offender  and  charity  does  not  have  its  burden 
increased  by  putting  him  away.  Where,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
causes  are  largely  economic,  the  imprisonment  of  the  offender  on 
account  of  the  dishonor  entailed  tends  to  harden  him  and  thereby 
to  place  the  family  in  a  position  of  danger.  There  is  the  wide 
middle  ground  where  reliance  must  be  had  upon  the  discretion  and 
sound  judgment  of  wise  magistrates  and  sympathetic  prosecutors. 

Here  is  where,  like  the  Children's  Court,  a  Court  of  Domestic 
Relations  would  serve  a  useful  function — not  a  court  where  a 
single  magistrate  or  two  would  preside  from  one  year's  end  to 
the  next,  but  one  wherein  all  committing  magistrates  would  rotate, 
bringing  to  their  task  the  larger  viewpoint  that  ripe  judgment 
obtains  from  being  in  touch  officially  with  all  phases  of  magis- 
terial work.  Such  a  court,  with  its  rotating  features,  the  Educa- 
tional Alliance  advocated  before  the  Small  Courts  Commission,  and 
has  by  that  body  been  recently  recommended  to  the  Legislature 
of  the  State  of  New  York.*  Should  such  a  division  of  our  Magis- 
trates' Court  be  created  with  the  District  of  Columbia  provision  of 
hard  labor  for  the  offender  supplying  some  modicum  of  support 
to  the  family,  and  the  Kansas  method  of  parole,  the  experience 
therein  obtained  will  doubtless  in  time  lead  to  the  devising  of 
valuable  experimental,  remedial  legislation. 

*  Since  this  paper  was  read  these  suggestions  have  been  embodied  in  the  Laws  of  New 
York,  Ch.  659,  Laws  of  1910. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  95 

DISCUSSION—  (Continued). 

By  A.  S.  NEWMAN, 
Superintendent  Hebrew  Relief  Association, 

CLEVELAND,  O. 

A  short  time  ago  I  called  at  the  home  of  a  man  whose  wife 
had  just  arrived  from  Europe.  The  man  had  been  here  for  some 
time,  and  spoke  English  quite  well.  The  woman,  shortly  after 
her  arrival,  had  heard  the  word  loafer  frequently  used  in  the 
neighborhood  where  she  lived,  and,  while  I  was  there,  said  to  her 
husband  in  German:  "Will  you  please  tell  me  what  a  loafer  is?" 
The  man  looked  puzzled  for  a  moment,  and  then  replied :  "A 
loafer — why  a  loafer  is  a  human  being,  just  like  other  human 
beings,  only  he  is  a  loafer." 

This  applies  as  well  to  deserters.  A  deserter  is  a  human  being, 
just  like  other  human  beings,  only  he  is  a  deserter.  Not  much  more 
than  this  at  any  rate  is  generally  known  about  deserters,  until  a 
splendidly  thorough,  analytical  study  of  the  subject,  such  as  we 
just  had  presented  to  us  by  Mr.  Waldman,  is  at  our  disposal. 

I  am  sure  that  Mr.  Waldman's  paper  will  be  carefully  perused 
with  interest  by  every  practical  charity  worker  receiving  a  copy  of 
the  proceedings  of  this  Conference. 

Like  all  good  papers,  Mr.  Waldman's  statement  of  the  situation 
is  self-explanatory,  and  requires  no  extended  comment  on  my  part. 

Mr.  Waldman  has  given  us  practically  everything  that  a  study 
of  the  subject  can  reveal.  He  has  diagnosed  the  desertion  problem, 
has  given  us  all  the  data  and  phenomena  pertaining  to  the  evil, 
and  in  probing  to  the  bottom  of  the  situation,  has  analyzed  the 
causes  of  desertion  in  the  order  of  their  importance,  and  has  told 
us  in  a  very  complete  way  why  men  leave  and  why  they  return. 

I  was  particularly  interested  in  Mr.  Waldman's  findings  and 
statistics  concerning  the  causes  of  desertion,  because,  in  fighting 
most  evils,  if  we  can  find  out  their  cause  we  frequently  can  by 
attacking  the  cause  eliminate  the  evil.  Strangely  enough,  this 
does  not  necessarily  follow  in  an  attempt  to  solve  the  problem 
of  desertion. 

Mr.  Waldman  has  found  that  self-indulgence,  licentiousness, 
selfishness  and  a  lack  of  a  sense  of  duty,  rather  than  poverty,  un- 


96  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

employment  and  misfortune,  are  the  principal  causes  of  desertion, 
and,  moreover,  cause  the  more  chronic  and  prolonged  types  of 
desertion  cases. 

A  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  the  deserter  is  not  so  much  an 
unfortunate  man  as  he  is  a  bad  man  should  the  more  readily 
cause  us  to  agree  with  Mr.  Waldman,  when  he  says  that  the  best 
weapon  at  our  disposal  against  the  deserter  is  the  "strong  arm  of 
the  law."  Unfortunately,  however,  a  knowledge  of  the  causes  in 
this  particular  evil  of  desertion  does  not  greatly  assist  in  preventing 
desertion.  We  cannot,  it  appears,  solve  the  problem  by  attacking 
the  principal  causes,  for  it  is  not  reasonable  to  expect  that  we 
can  with  any  satisfactory  degree  of  speed  eliminate  selfishness, 
licentiousness,  self-indulgence  and  a  lack  of  a  sense  of  duty. 

Since,  therefore,  we  cannot  remove  the  cause  and,  therefore, 
cannot  entirely  eliminate  desertion,  let  us  at  least  see  what  fighting 
measures  are  at  hand  with  which  to  diminish  the  evil. 

I  know  from  Mr.  Waldman's  paper  and  from  my  own  experience 
that  the  most  persistent  suggestion  made  is  that  we  endeavor  to  have 
desertion  made  a  felony  in  all  of  the  States.  The  paper  further 
suggests  as  a  possibly  preferable  substitute  that  we  work  to  the 
end  of  making  a  misdemeanor  an  extraditable  offense. 

In  my  opinion  it  matters  little  at  this  particular  time  whether 
the  one  or  the  other  change  or  addition  in  the  law  be  made.  It  is, 
to  be  sure,  desirable  that  we  have  uniform  laws,  well  adapted  to 
the  handling  of  desertion  cases,  but  a  lack  of  proper  laws  is  not 
at  this  time  the  chief  difficulty  in  the  situation.  Proper  laws  could 
doubtless  be  secured  with  comparative  ease,  and  even  the  law  as 
it  is  could  be  fairly  well  adapted  to  the  handling  of  cases,  if  only 
the  problem  were  more  within  our  control,  which  it  is  not. 

I  have  myself  referred  to  the  "strong  arm  of  the  law"  as  being 
the  best  weapon  at  hand,  but  I  have  noticed  that  this  same  "strong 
arm  of  the  law,"  through  enforced  idleness,  lacks  proper  exercise 
to  keep  it  healthy.  If  it  had  the  needed  exercise,  the  laws  would 
adjust  themselves  to  the  situation  without  much  difficulty. 

What  degree  of  good,  after  all,  can  we  derive  at  the  present  time 
from  laws  no  matter  how  excellent  or  how  stringent  they  may  be, 
or  how  well  adapted  to  the  purpose,  if  we  cannot  get  hold  of  de- 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  97 

serters  to  prosecute,  and  the  practical  charity  workers  in  the 
audience  will  readily  admit  that  the  deserter  is,  for  the  most  part, 
far  removed  from  the  scene  of  action  when  he  is  wanted  in  court. 

I  was  recently  informed  by  the  non-Jewish  charities  of  our  city 
that  they  doubt  whether  they  succeed  in  bringing  2  per  cent,  of 
their  deserters  into  court,  and  the  experience  of  our  Jewish  charities 
during  1909  has  been  that  out  of  52  desertions  only  4  of  the  men, 
or  about  7Vij  per  cent.,  were  found  and  brought  into  court. 

One  particularly  objectionable  thing  about  wife-deserters  is  that 
when  they  depart  they  do  not  leave  their  addresses  at  either  police 
headquarters  or  at  the  charity  office.  This  at  least  is  how  we  find 
it  in  Cleveland,  and  I  presume  that  deserters  are  very  much  alike 
the  world  over  in  this  particular. 

I  wish  to  point  out,  therefore,  that  whereas  the  enactment  of 
proper  laws  and  earnest  and  able  prosecution  of  deserters  is  not 
only  desirable,  but  necessary,  we  ought  to  give  paramount  atten- 
tion to  ways  and  means  of  apprehending  absconding  husbands  and 
fathers. 

At  the  present  time  we  capture  a  deserter  only  very  occasionally, 
and  principally  when  he  himself  grows  careless  of  his  safety.  We 
rarely  find  a  deserter  who  is  really  anxious  to  avoid  us.  If  the 
wife  does  not  happen  to  hear  from  friends  or  relatives  in  othei 
cities  that  her  husband  may  be  found  there,  we  have  practically  no 
avenue  of  search  for  him,  and  even  through  this  medium  the  re- 
sults are  very  unsatisfactory. 

One  thing  is  certain,  that  we  cannot  even  in  the  smallest  degree 
depend  upon  the  police,  even  where  desertion  is  a  felony,  to  find 
deserters.  I  am  not  sufficiently  acquainted  with  police  duties  and 
police  routine  to  know  whether  more  could  be  reasonably  expected 
of  the  police  in  these  cases.  I  do  know,  however,  that  in  Cleveland, 
when  a  woman  has  taken  out  a  warrant  for  her  husband's  arrest  it 
has  frequently  happened  that  the  police  came  to  look  for  him  at 
our  charity  office  and  at  the  woman's  home.  I  have  reason  to 
believe  that  this  was  the  entire  extent  of  their  search. 

It  is,  therefore,  very  evident  that  the  law  and  the  police  of  their 
own  initiative  accomplish  very  little  in  these  cases,  and,  as  the 
wives  rarely  get  a  clew  to  the  whereabouts  of  the  real  deserter,  some 


98  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

further  plan  must  be  suggested,  if  we  are  to  make  any  satisfactory 
headway  in  diminishing  desertions. 

I  therefore  desire  in  part  to  suggest,  and  in  part  to  inquire, 
whether  there  is  any  reason  why  it  would  not  be  good  to  give  a 
much  greater  amount  of  publicity  to  desertions  than  we  have  here- 
tofore been  giving. 

I  do  not  know  just  how  many  Yiddish  papers  there  are  in  the 
country,  or  the  exact  extent  of  their  circulation,  but  I  do  know 
that  they  reach  the  working  classes  very  extensively.  I  understand 
that  New  York  City  has  4  Yiddish  daily  papers,  that  Chicago  ha? 
2,  San  Francisco  has  1,  Montreal  has  1,  that  St.  Louis  has  or  had 
1,  that  Atlanta,  Ga.,  has  1,  and  we  have  a  Jewish  daily  paper  in 
Cleveland.  There  doubtless  are  more  of  these  papers  than  I  have 
enumerated.  One  Yiddish  daily  in  New  York,  I  understand,  al- 
ready conducts,  on  a  small  scale,  what  is  known  by  them  as  their 
"Gallery  of  Deserting  Men."  They  reproduce  the  photograph  of 
the  deserter  and  print  some  description  of  the  matter. 

I  am  inclined  to  think  that  an  elaboration  of  this  plan  would 
prove  to  be  a  practical  weapon  in  the  fight  against  desertion. 

If  we  were  to  make  arrangements  with  the  various  Yiddish  pa- 
pers, have  a  few  cuts  for  printing  purposes  of  our  chronic  deserters 
made,  and  have  these  as  widely  published  as  can  be  reasonably  done, 
we  would  thereby  not  only  succeed  in  finding  out  the  whereabouts 
of  various  deserters,  but,  I  particularly  wish  to  emphasize,  that 
through  this  publicity,  we  would  create  an  atmosphere  of  danger 
to  the  deserter,  which  does  not  at  present  exist,  and  which  would, 
I  believe,  be  the  greatest  deterrent  to  desertion  which  we  can 
employ. 

The  editor  of  our  Cleveland  paper  thinks  the  plan  is  practical, 
and  gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  the  papers  in  other  cities  would 
also  doubtless  cheerfully  take  up  the  matter. 

Although  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  same  gentleman  that  the  various 
papers  would  make  only  a  very  limited  charge  for  this  work,  it  is 
evident  that  an  extensive  publicity  campaign  would  involve  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  expense  to  each  organization,  the  amount  varying 
with  the  number  of  desertions  advertised. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  99 

It  should  here  be  noted  that  the  deserter  who  absents  himself 
from  home  for  a  long  period,  for  the  most  part,  resides  in  the 
large  cities. 

I  understand  that  one  Jewish  daily  in  New  York  has  a  circula- 
tion of  over  100,000,  and  I  know  that  it  reaches  quite  a  number 
of  working  men  in  cities  other  than  New  York.  One  New  York 
deserter  was  captured  in  Cleveland  only  last  week  through  the  re- 
production of  his  photograph  in  one  of  the  papers,  and  I  was  par- 
ticularly impressed  recently  with  the  desirability  of  carrying  out 
this  publicity  plan,  when  the  reproduction  of  the  photograph  of  one 
of  our  Cleveland  deserters  in  a  New  York  daily  resulted  in  the 
man's  arrest  in  the  city  of  Pittsburg,  through  the  report  of  a 
fellow-workman,  who  had  recognized  him  by  means  of  the  descrip- 
tion in  the  paper. 

At  the  present  time,  without  this  weapon  of  publicity  held  over 
the  deserter's  head,  he  wanders  about  at  his  own  pleasure,  with 
practically  no  risk  of  arrest,  and  even  if  through  some  accident, 
he  be  apprehended  and  convicted  ,he  frequently,  at  the  expiration  of 
his  time,  departs  for  even  a  longer  period  than  before,  because  he 
will  not  live  with  a  wife  who  has  caused  him  the  pain  and  humilia- 
ation  of  imprisonment. 

If,  however,  he  were  aware  that  he  will  be  described  in  the  papers, 
and  incur  great  risk  of  recapture  and  reimprisonment,  he  may  be 
more  likely  to  accept  the  ills  that  he  has  "than  fly  to  others,"  of 
which  he  has  had  previous  sad  experience. 

If,  for  instance,  a  New  York  deserter,  who  has  taken  up  his 
residence  in  Cleveland,  should  some  morning  find  his  photograph 
reproduced  in  the  Cleveland  Jewish  daily  paper,  and  should,  at  the 
same  time  realize,  that  if  he  went  from  Cleveland  to  Chicago,  that 
the  papers  there  might  also  be  similarly  advertising  him,  he  might, 
to  say  the  least,  feel  somewhat  embarrassed  over  the  situation,  and 
would  probably  seriously  consider  a  return  to  his  family,  rather 
than  run  the  risk  of  being  brought  back  by  a  deputy  sheriff  to  face 
trial. 

It  should  in  this  connection  be  mentioned  that  after  a  period  of 
careful  observation,  we  have  found  in  our  Cleveland  experience  that 
fully  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the  wives  are  able  to  furnish  photo- 


100  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

graphs  of  the  men.  In  some  instances  they  are  secured  from  friends 
and  relatives  of  the  man,  and  in  other  cases  it  is  necessary  to  go 
to  the  photographer  who  made  the  photograph. 

A  further  possibility  would  be  the  printing  of  circulars,  which 
can  be  cheaply  secured  in  quantities  and  distributed  at  such  points 
as  settlement  houses,  labor  union  headquarters,  depending  upon 
the  man's  trade,  and  in  such  factories  as  employ  men  of  the  trade 
followed  by  the  deserter. 

As  I  have  stated  before,  the  important  thing  is  to  create  an 
atmosphere  of  danger. 

Before  dismissing  the  subject,  I  desire  to  say  that  I  do  not  claim 
for  this  plan  that  it  is  more  than  one  of  the  fighting  measures 
which  it  may  be  possible  to  employ.  There  may  even  be  reasons 
known  to  some  of  the  workers  here  assembled  why  the  plan  is  not 
feasible,  but  I  think  it  worth  while  bringing  before  this  assemblage 
for  consideration  and  discussion. 

I  speak  of  the  matter  as  much  in  the  way  of  inquiry  as  in  the 
way  of  suggestion. 

I  have  noted  with  great  interest  Mr.  Waldman's  advocacy  of 
the  handling  of  desertion  exclusively  through  the  Juvenile  Court, 
in  order  that  the  family  may  be  dealt  with  as  a  unit.  Mr.  Wald- 
man's thorough  summing  up  of  this  phase  of  the  question  is  very 
convincing,  and  I  am  perhaps  particularly  in  sympathy  with  his 
remarks,  because  we  are  working  in  that  direction  in  Cleveland. 

I  must,  however,  say  a  word  concerning  Mr.  William  C.  Baldwin's 
communication  to  Mr.  Waldman,  to  the  effect  that  899  desertion 
cases  were  tried  in  the  Juvenile  Court  of  the  District  of  Columbia. 
I  own  that  I  was  at  first  somewhat  surprised  at  Mr.  Baldwin's 
figures,  in  view  of  my  theory  that  deserters  are  hard  to  find,  until 
I  took  the  matter  up  with  our  Juvenile  Court  in  Cleveland,  where 
I  received  information,  from  which  I  infer,  that  these  899  cases 
probably,  for  the  most  part,  consisted  not  of  instances  where  men 
had  gone  to  other  cities  and  were  brought  back,  but  consisted  rather 
of  local  abandonment  cases,  in  which  the  men  had  not  left  the 
District  of  Columbia,  but  had  failed  to  support  their  families  there 
by  reason  of  drink,  or  shiftlessness,  or  vice.  Our  Juvenile  Court 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  101 

in  Cleveland  deals  with  many  cases  of  this  type,  but  the  real  de- 
serter is  not  often  brought  into  court,  because  he  cannot  be  found. 

I  have  repeatedly  emphasized  in  this  discussion  the  difficulty  of 
bringing  deserters  to  jastieo,  bat  le^t  anyone  arrive  at  the  mistaken 
inference  than  many  solutions  are  not.  readied  jn  our',' desertion 
cases,  even  though  it,  is  difficult  to_  reach  deserters  through,  the  law, 
I  wish  to  point  out,  a.nsl.t'ii^aiso  in  .cqrroboraticn .  ot  Mr.  Wald- 
man's  findings  in  regard  to  the  duration  of  desertion  cases,  that 
of  52  desertion  cases,  with  which  our  Jewish  charities  of  Cleveland 
dealt  in  1909,  only  18  were  on  the  relief  list  on  January  1,  1910. 

Mr.  Waldman,  speaking  of  the  Cincinnati  method  of  not  enter- 
taining desertion  cases  as  strictly  charity  propositions,  points  out 
that  the  method  is  justly  and  with  good  result  applicable  only  to 
the  type  of  case  in  which  the  deserter  takes  a  real  interest  in  his 
family,  and  he  further  points  out  that  this  type  of  case  is,  in  any 
event,  likely  to  be  only  temporary.  This  last  fact  appears  to  be 
the  most  hopeful  element  in  the  situation.  Since  then  these 
temporary  cases  are  not  the  most  serious  difficulty  to  be  met,  and 
since  we  can  or  do  employ  some  or  all  of  the  principals  of  the 
Cincinnati  method  in  combating  with  some  degree  of  success  this 
temporary  type  of  case,  it  remains  that  we  work  out  a  plan  to 
minimize  the  more  serious  and  prolonged  type  of  desertion,  in 
which  the  man  cares  nothing  for  his  family.  I  have  ventured  to 
suggest  one  plan,  namely,  that  of  publicity.  I  trust  that  further 
plans  will  be  suggested  by  others. 

In  conclusion,  I  wish  to  join  Mr.  Waldman  in  his  advocacy  of 
our  working  in  the  direction  of  uniform  extradition  statutes,  and 
of  handling  desertions  through  the  Juvenile  Court. 

PRESIDENT  HOLLANDER:  With  this  the  formal  discussion  of 
the  paper  is  complete,  and  the  subject  is  now  before  the  Conference 
for  informal  discussion,  for  a  necessarily  limited  time.  Those  who 
receive  the  floor  will  retain  it  for  a  maximum  of  five  minutes. 

MRS.  C.  A.  STIX,  St.  Louis :  Those  of  you  who  know  me  must 
realize  how,  after  listening  for  days  to  the  able  papers  read  at  this 


102  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

Conference,  I  welcome  an  open  discussion,  which  gives  me  a 
chance  to  talk!  The  subject  how  to  avoid  wife  desertion  is 
most  important,  and  each  State  has  a  different  remedy;  thus  we 
hear  many  conflicting  reports.,  Last  n.ight  Mr.  Mack  thoroughly 
convinced  us  tha£  in,  order  ,tp  £  top  anfi<-immjgration  laws  we  should 
feel  morally  responsible  to  our  government  to  keep  all  Jewish 
poor  off  of,  qur  4*eejts,  to.  take  sucii.cai'e  .of  .our  Jewish  women 
and  children  thart  they  need  not  become  a  burden  to  the  State. 
If  we  fail  to  do  this  laws  will  be  made  so  stringent  and  the  barrier 
will  be  such  as  to  close  our  door  to  all  of  persecuted  Eussia.  In 
the  report  from  New  York  1,050  men  deserted  last  year;  in  Cin- 
cinnati none,  owing  to  their  method  of  refusing  assistance  to  any 
family  where  the  husband  has  deserted.  This  does  not  seem  just. 
Perhaps  there  are  fewer  cases  needing  assistance  in  Cincinnati 
compared  to  other  cities ;  for  example,  how  could  New  York  refuse 
aid  to  a  thousand  helpless  women,  who,  in  taking  care  of  their 
babies,  fulfill  their  mission.  Is  it  kind  to  call  these  women 
beggars?  When  Mr.  Senior  was  asked  what  the  Jewish  charities 
do  for  the  women  really  needing  assistance  he  replied:  "We  send 
them  to  the  Ohio  Humane  Society,  where  they  are  loath  to  beg; 
then  a  policeman  in  uniform  meets  them,  so  that  many  half- 
frightened  turn  back."  These  poor  dejected  souls  who  suffered 
such  bad  treatment  in  Kussia  look  for  more  kindness  than  this. 
It  is  quite  true  you  reduce  the  number  who  ask  for  assistance,  but 
is  that  a  proof  they  are  not  in  want?  I  once  attended  a  meeting 
of  a  day  nursery,  where  a  report  was  read  saying:  We  feed  our 
children  on  fewer  rations  and  use  less  money  than  any  institution 
of  this  kind."  I  answered:  "That's  no  proof  that  the  children 
are  not  hungry."  We  have  had  1,800  years  of  charity  giving,  let 
the  poor  now  have  justice.  The  rich  woman  has  redress,  if  her 
husband  deserts;  a  lawyer  saves  her  all  humiliation  and  the  court 
settles  the  amount  of  alimony.  You  should  not  close  your 
charity  doors  to  the  family  of  a  deserter,  but  get  together  and 
have  such  laws  passed  in  every  State  to  find  and  punish  the  de- 
serter. Continue  to  aid  helpless  women  left  to  care  for  their  in- 
fants and  use  all  of  your  energy,  money  and  efforts  to  make  the- 
deserter  pay  the  penalty. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF    JEWISH    CHARITIES.  103 

DR.  BORIS  D.  BOGEN,  Cincinnati:  The  fact  that  we  have  no 
desertion  or  deserted  women  is  not  because  we  ignore  them  or  mis- 
treat them.  On  the  contrary,  in  many  instances  we  prevent  deser- 
tion by  proper  treatment  and  by  assisting  poor  families.  The 
children  of  deserted  mothers  suffer  no  physical  want,  they  are  sent 
to  school  just  as  well  as  any  other  children.  Our  organization, 
however,  has  no  direct  dealings  with  the  cases  of  desertion.  If 
you  imagine  that  by  giving  five  or  ten  cents  you  have  solved  the 
problem  you  are  mistaken.  This  spasmodic  method  does  not 
count  in  the  long  run. 

The  deserters  are  human  beings  and  the  psychological  reasons 
and  causes  underlying  desertion  must  be  studied  if  we  are  ever 
to  be  in  position  to  treat  them  right.  Many  a  time  in  our  office 
a  man  threatens  to  desert  his  family:  "If  you  do  not  do  as  I 
want  I  will  desert  you,"  he  says.  Sometimes  he  keeps  his  promise, 
but  our  method  does  not  encourage  desertion.  We  are  anxious  to 
help  the  children  and  do  not  want  to  mistreat  the  unfortunate 
women,  but  we  do  not  want,  through  our  kindness,  to  produce 
additional  misery. 

It  is  a  mistake,  in  my  opinion,  for  a  charity  worker  to  assume 
the  role  of  a  prosecuting  officer.  If  deserters  are  to  be  prosecuted 
it  ought  to  be  done  by  another  agency.  We  do  not  handle  deser- 
tion cases  directly,  but  refer  them  to  the  Ohio  Humane  Society 
(which  is  a  police  agency). 

MRS.  HENRY  SOLOMON,  Chicago:  I  differ  from  Mrs.  Stix  on 
one  point.  I  should  not  consider  women  beggars;  I  believe  they 
earn  all  they  get,  especially  those  of  the  class  Mr.  Waldman 
described  this  morning  when  he  gave  his  reasons  for  wife-desertion, 
since  upon  them  devolves  the  burden  of  carrying  the  financial 
question,  being  the  housekeeper,  laundress  and  general  burden- 
bearer  for  the  entire  question.  We  have  been  given  the  Cincinnati 
method,  which  I  fear  would  be  of  little  value  in  larger  communi- 
ties, where  large  problems  in  every  line  must  be  met  and  solved. 
One  difficult  point  in  legislation  must  not  be  overlooked — the 
securing  of  means  for  transportation  after  a  deserter  is  located. 
Often,  when  one  is  found  and  returned,  upon  his  promise  to  re- 
turn home  and  care  for  his  family,  the  wife  will  refuse  to  testify 


104  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

against  him  and  all  the  effort  for  his  return  is  wasted  since  a  few 
weeks  will  find  him  again  an  offender.  I  am  inclined  to  believe 
that  uniform  laws  and  stringent  ones  should  be  adopted  and  en- 
forced until  a  new  attitude  toward  desertion  is  created,  and  when 
a  lesson  has  been  taught  we  might  modify  them. 

MR.  S.  B.  KAUFMAN,  Indianapolis:  I  heartily  agree  with  the 
suggestions  made  by  Mr.  Newman.  At  the  Indiana  State  Con- 
ference of  Charities  I  read  a  paper  on  the  same  subject,  and  gave 
three  suggestions : 

First,  uniform  laws  on  desertion;  second,  the  establishment  of 
desertion  bureaus  in  all  communities;  third,  that  there  shoud  be  a 
central  bureau,  where  an  official  organ  on  this  subject  should  be 
published,  containing  a  description  of  each  deserter,  his  personal 
appearance  and  occupation,  and  that  this  paper  be  sent  to  each 
bureau,  from  which  point  a  search  should  be  made  for  the  deserter 
by  the  local  officer,  with  the  co-operation  of  the  people. 

I  suggest  that  the  National  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities 
should  publish  a  paper  under  its  auspices,  where  the  pictures  and 
descriptions  of  all  deserters  could  be  published.  The  paper  can 
also  be  a  medium  to  promote  the  interest  and  the  uplifting  of 
Jewish  philanthropy. 

About  a  year  ago  a  deserter  was  discovered  in  Indianapolis 
through  the  Jewish  Forwards.  Another  was  discovered  at  Mon- 
treal, Canada.  We  believe  if  an  organ  would  be  published,  in 
which  we  could  give  publicity  and  have  descriptions  of  all  de- 
serters, and  also  have  the  co-operation  from  all  the  communities 
in  the  country,  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the  deserters  would  be 
apprehended. 

MR.  CYRUS  L.  SULZBEROER,  New  York :  It  seems  to  me  that  there 
is  one  point  in  connection  with  this  matter  that  was  touched  upon 
by  Mr.  Waldman,  but  perhaps  not  sufficiently  emphasized,  and  that 
appears  to  have  been  overlooked  by  those  who  discussed  the  paper, 
and  that  is  as  to  the  origin  of  Jewish  desertion  cases  and  the  way 
in  which  they  differ  from  desertions  ordinarily,  like  everything 
else  connected  with  our  problem. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHAEITIES.  105 

A  few  years  ago  I  visited  Russia  and  Roumania  for  the 
purpose  of  seeing  the  conditions  as  they  were.  I  found 
that  in  Roumania  there  was  practically  no  wife  desertion.  Now 
why  is  it  these  people  who  do  not  desert  in  their  own  country 
do  desert  when  they  get  here?  How  do  they  come  here?  What 
happens  in  that  two  or  three  years  that  they  are  here  in  advance 
of  their  families?  The  man  gets  into  a  factory  in  the  city,  works 
side  by  side  with  Americanized  people,  and  after  he  has  accumu- 
lated sufficient  funds  sends  for  his  family,  and  when  his  wife 
arrives  he  is  shocked  to  find  that  whereas  he  has  become  an  Ameri- 
can and  has  associated  with  Americans  his  wife  is  a  far  different 
being. 

The  fact  is  the  man  doesn't  realize  the  difference  until  his 
wife  arrives  and  shows  him  the  contrast  of  the  conditions  under 
which  he  has  been  working  and  the  squalid  environments  the 
woman  has  just  come  from.  After  a  separation  of  three  years,  he 
in  the  new  environment  and  his  wife  in  the  old,  she  is  subjected 
to  a  trial  that  she  would  not  have  had  if  they  had  been  allowed, 
as  they  have  the  right,  to  live  out  their  lives  in  a  land  of  civiliza- 
tion, instead  of  a  land  of  oppression. 

Miss  MIRIAM  KALISKY,  Chicago:  I  think  we  are  making  pro- 
gress in  all  our  charitable  efforts,  but  in  one  respect  we  are  forging 
ahead  in  Illinois,  and  that  is  in  our  laws.  For  instance,  we  had 
a  case  of  desertion,  and  over  two  weeks  ago  we  brought  the  man 
back  to  Chicago,  111.  I  think  it  was  late  on  Tuesday  evening 
when  he  was  brought  back.  The  next  morning  he  was  prosecuted. 
His  wife  refused  to  prosecute.  Nevertheless,  the  judge  pronounced 
a  sentence  of  six  months.  Later  the  man  was  set  free  on  his  own 
bond,  but  he  has  to  report  to  the  court  at  certain  times,  until  the 
expiration  of  the  six  months,  and  if  he  fails  to  report  or  deserts 
his  family  again  the  sentence  of  the  court  will  at  once  become 
effective.  I  believe  that  is  the  only  remedy  for  desertion.  It  is 
true,  when  the  man  comes  to  this  country  his  wife  is  ignorant,  they 
live  in  some  dark  Russian  settlement,  she  has  a  house  full  of 
children  and  their  home  is  small.  I  think  by  lending  ourselves 


106  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

to  her,  teaching  her  how  to  take  care  of  her  home,  we  will  be 
showing  her  the  only  way  to  keep  the  man  at  home. 

MR.  G.  A.  BERLINSKY,  Louisville:  In  all  the  discussion  this 
morning,  following  the  paper  on  desertion,  and  in  the  report 
itself,  everything  has  applied  to  the  cases  of  desertion  after  the 
man  has  left  his  family.  The  keynote  as  to  preventing  desertion 
has  not  been  sounded.  Dr.  Bogen  speaks  of  Cincinnati:  Cin- 
cinnati claims  it  has  few  cases  of  desertion  and  its  workers  think 
they  know  why  they  have  so  few — giving  as  the  reason  the  fact 
that  instead  of  their  desertion  cases  being  handled  directly  by  the 
charity  organization  they  are  handled  under  their  direction  through 
the  Humane  Society,  with  its  uniformed  officers.  My  opinion  is 
that  Cincinnati  has  so  few  cases  of  desertion  for  other  reasons — 
Cincinnati  has  more  than  ordinary  charity  work.  Their  charities, 
social  settlement  and  correlated  activities,  work  hand  in  hand, 
and  through  this  service  they  know  their  people;  not  only  those 
receiving  charity  but  those  above  the  poverty  line,  on  the  verge 
of  charity;  they  know  their  weaknesses,  and  through  efficient 
social  service  prevent  desertion. 

Mr.  Waldman's  report  does  not  show  in  how  many  desertion 
cases  the  families  had  the  help  and  guidance  of  friendly  visitors, 
contact  with  social  settlements  or  the  services  of  visiting  nurses. 
Surely  prevention  is  a  more  important  factor  in  the  question  of 
desertion  than  work  after  the  man  is  gone,  and  the  family  is  left 
on  the  hands  of  the  charities. 

We  learn  from  the  report  that  in  many  cases  desertion  is  due 
to  incompatibility.  Here  is  a  field  for  social  endeavor;  to  bring 
about  a  better  understanding  between  the  husband  who  preceded 
his  wife  in  the  emigration  to  America,  and  who  quickly  acquires 
different  ways  and  standards,  and  the  newly  arrived  wife. 

We  are  told  also  that  immorality  plays  an  important  part  in 
the  problem.  I  believe  that  when  our  social  service  reaches  a 
higher  state  of  efficiency  and  the  standard  of  living  is  raised  the 
number  of  desertions  will  diminish.  Our  organization  (in  Louis- 
ville) is  paying  more  attention  to  prevention  of  desertion  than 
to  plans  for  the  punishment  of  deserters  upon  their  return. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  107 

MR.  JACOB  BILLIKOPF,  Kansas  City:  The  subject  of  wife 
abandonment,  so  ably  and  comprehensively  discussed  by  Mr. 
Waldman  in  his  excellent  paper,  presents  so  many  difficulties  that 
it  is  impossible  to  suggest  any  one  remedy  which  will  solve  this 
great  problem.  The  recommendations  made  by  the  previous 
speakers  possess  a  good  deal  of  merit  and  deserve  careful  con- 
sideration. 

In  the  few  minutes  allowed  me  I  wish  to  present  briefly  a 
scheme,  operative  in  our  city,  which  is  attracting  considerable 
attention.  It  possesses  certain  features  calculated  to  check,  in  a 
measure,  at  least,  the  evil  of  wife  desertion. 

A  little  over  -a  year  ago  there  was  created  in  our  city,  under 
a  special  ordinance  introduced  in  the  Council,  a  Board  of  Pardons 
and  Paroles,  whose  function  it  is  to  supervise  the  local  penal 
institutions  and  to  deal  with  such  offenders  as  have  been  com- 
mitted to  the  workhouse  for  the  violation  of  some  municipal 
ordinance.  At  the  weekly  meetings  of  the  Board  the  secretary, 
who  attends  every  session  of  the  Municipal  Court,  presents  the 
cases  of  such  individuals  as  in  his  judgment  are  deserving  of 
parole.  When  released  on  probation  the  man  is  furnished  with 
a  written  statement  of  the  terms  and  the  conditions  of  his  parole, 
and  is  impressed  with  the  fact  that  upon  violation  of  any  of  his 
promises  he  will  be  sent  back  to  the  workhouse  for  a  period  of 
three  times  the  unexpired  term.  The  same  applies  to  women. 
Two  things  are  insisted  upon  at  all  times — honest  employment 
and  a  respectable  living  place.  In  his  weekly  report  to  the  secretary 
he  is  obliged  to  give  his  place  of  employment,  place  of  residence, 
wages  and  expenses  in  detail. 

Now,  then,  from  January  1,  1909,  i.  e.,  since  the  establishment 
of  the  Board,  until  January  1,  1910,  a  period  of  twelve  months, 
885  persons  were  paroled.  The  records  show  that  78,  or  only  9%, 
subsequently  committed  further  infractions  of  the  law,  and  that 
at  least  70%  reported  quite  regularly  and  conducted  themselves 
satisfactorily. 

Being  a  member  of  this  Board,  I  have  had  abundant  opportunity 
to  observe  its  operation,  and  I  can  say  that  in  one  feature  of  its 
work  the  Board  has  been  particularly  successful,  and  that  is  in 


108  PIJOCEED1NGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

forcing  delinquent  husbands  and  delinquent  fathers  to  deposit 
with  the  secretary  a  portion  of  their  earnings,  to  be  applied  to 
the  maintenance  of  their  families.  Within  a  period  of  six  months 
over  $3,000.00  has  passed  through  the  hands  of  the  secretary,  to 
be  expended  in  behalf  of  wives  and  children,  and  this  money 
comes  from  men  who,  were  it  not  for  the  existence  of  the  Board, 
would  today  be  inmates  of  the  workhouse  and  their  families  de- 
pendent upon  the  charities  for  support. 

In  this  connection  I  take  the  liberty  to  cite  a  concrete  case,  a 
description  of  which  will  give  you  some  idea  of  the  methods  we 
pursue  in  the  solution  of  cases  involving  the  problem  of  family 
neglect. 

CASE  OF  H.  L. 

Police  Court,  No.   18231. 

H.  L.— Tailor  by  trade.  Fined  $500.00.  September  23,  1909 ; 
married;  has  4  children,  ages  10,  8,  6  and  4  years,  respectively; 
lives  on  Missouri  Avenue. 

Police  Court  Testimony. 

This  man  was  prosecuted  for  wife  abandonment  and 
non-support.  On  four  or  five  different  occasions  he  de- 
serted his  family,  leaving  them  in  the  most  destitute  cir- 
cumstances and  at  the  mercy  of  the  charities.  Each  time 
he  was  warned  that  if  he  repeated  the  offense  he  would 
be  prosecuted  vigorously,  but  such  threats  had  little  effect 
upon  him.  Without  any  provocation  and  whenever  the 
spirit  moved  him,  which  was  quite  frequently,  he  would 
go  away  from  the  city  and  would  return  as  uncere- 
moniously within  three  or  four  months  after  his  de- 
parture. It  was  found  out  later  that  the  man  had  an 
affinity  in  Chicago,  and  whenever  he  would  save  up  a  few 
dollars  he  would  join  her.  On  the  particular  morning 
on  which  he  was  brought  into  court  his  wife  could  not 
appear  against  him,  as  she  was  in  a  rather  precarious 
condition.  The  only  defense  the  man  had  to  make  in 
his  own  behalf  was  that  his  wife  did  not  mind  him  and 
was  too  independent. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  109 

It  would  seem,  though,  that  none  of  his  pleas  had  any  effect 
on  the  judge,  and  he  was  fined  $500.00,  which  is  equivalent  to  a 
year  in  the  workhouse,  for  repeatedly  neglecting  his  family.  On 
the  same  day  he  was  sent  to  the  workhouse.  But  five  days  later 
Mr.  L.  was  paroled  by  the  Board  and  signed  the  following 
pledge : 

In  consideration  of  parole  granted  me  this  date,  I 
hereby  agree  to  obey  the  laws  and  support  my  family, 
and  to  report  every  Saturday  night  to  the  office  of  the 
secretary  for  one  year. 

I  also  agree  to  reimburse  the  charities  for  the  expenses 
they  incurred  in  the  maintenance  of  my  family  during 
my  absence  and  to  deposit  $300.00  with  the  Board  as 
security  against  my  deserting  my  family. 

I  further  agree,  if  returned  to  custody  by  the  Board 
for  the  violation  of  any  term  of  this  parole,  to  work  out 
the  balance  of  my  unexpired  sentence  ($500.00)  at  the 
rate  of  sixteen  and  two-thirds  cents  per  day. 

H.  L.  (his  X  mark). 
Witnessed  by  FRANK  P.  WALSH, 

Attorney  for  the  Board. 

September  29,  1909 — $300.00,  which  L.  recovered  from  the 
street  car  company  on  account  of  injury  to  his  child,  was  put  up 
as  security  by  defendant  and  deposited  by  the  Board  in  the 
Fidelity  Trust  Co. 

October  6,  1909 — Reported  at  the  office  of  the  secretary.  Works 
at  .  Earns  $18.00  per  week  and  lives  at  home. 

April  1,  1910 — Man  has  been  reporting  every  week  at  the  office 
and  the  family  is  getting  along  very  nicely.  He  managed  to 
save  $200.00. 

Here,  then,  is  the  case  of  a  man  who  has  so  repeatedly  aban- 
doned his  family  that  he  became  a  chronic  wife  deserter.  He  was 
shrewd  enough  to  realize  that  society  would  not  allow  his  wife 
and  children  to  starve  and  that  they  would  be  cared  for  during  his 
absence.  All  at  once  the  law  takes  hold  of  him  and  punishes  him 
severely  for  the  violation  of  his  duties.  Five  days  in  the  work- 


110  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

house  had  sufficient  effect  on  him  to  impress  him  with  a  sense  of 
responsibility  to  his  family,  and  he  is  willing  to  comply  with  any 
request  that  is  made  of  him.  All  of  our  wife  neglect  cases  are, 
with  some  modifications,  handled  in  a  similar  manner. 

Recently  our  Board  has  adopted  a  scheme  whereby  we  are  taking 
care  of  such  families  whose  bread-winner  serves  a  sentence  in  the 
workhouse.  The  amount  given  each  family  depends  entirely  upon 
the  needs  and  requirements  of  that  particular  family.  In  that 
way  the  wives  and  children  do  not  suffer  pending  the  prisoners' 
confinement  in  the  workhouse. 

As  I  stated  before,  I  feel  that  our  scheme  has  had  a  very  whole- 
some effect  and  will  in  time  check  considerably  the  evil  of  wife 
abandonment. 

MR.  MORRIS  D.  WALDMAN,  New  York:  I  did  not  expect  to  be 
called  upon  to  close  this  discussion.  It  may,  however,  be  well 
to  summarize  the  essential  points,  so  that  you  may  take  away  a 
clear  notion  from  the  haze  and  maze  of  statistics  which  have  been 
presented.  The  first  thing  we  discovered  is,  that  it  is  not  a  Jewish 
question  alone,  but  is  just  as  prevalent  among  the  Gentiles,  and 
from  this  fact  we  may  take  unction  to  our  souls.  Furthermore, 
desertion  has  not  been  on  the  increase.  Proportionately  it  has 
been  on  the  decrease.  Furthermore,  among  the  causes  of  desertion 
immorality  does  not  seem  to  be  quite  as  prevalent  among  Jews 
as  among  non-Jews.  I  was  particularly  gratified  that  among  the 
desertion  cases  I  investigated  in  1902  I  found  only  three  women 
who  had  been  guilty  of  sexual  immorality.  The  present  study, 
incomplete  as  it  is,  also  shows  that  self-indulgence  is  the  chief 
cause  of  family  desertion,  and  that  there  is  little  relation  between 
desertion  and  industrial  conditions. 

I  am  sorry  that  Mr.  Billikopf  did  not  present  to  you  more 
emphatically  the  plan  which  Kansas  City  has  just  about  intro- 
duced. I  look  forward  with  a  great  deal  of  anticipation  to  the 
results  of  the  scheme  that  has  been  inaugurated  in  Kansas  City 
for  the  treatment  of  desertion  cases,  as  well  as  the  treatment  of 
other  minor  offenses.  Just  another  word:  the  causes  as  they 
appear  in  my  report  of  1902  were  crudely  tabulated;  in  the  supple- 
mentary tabular  forms  appearing  in  this  report  you  will  find  the 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  Ill 

causes  a  little  more  scientifically  tabulated,  and  1  would  recom- 
mend to  the  Conference,  if  it  still  believes  that  interest  in  the 
subject  ought  to  be  continued,  that  these  tables  be  submitted  to  a 
special  committee  for  approval  and  then  distributed  to  all  the 
relief  agencies  in  the  city,  so  that  a  thorough  study  may  be  made 
for  at  least  one  year,  the  results  of  such  investigation  to  be  em- 
bodied in  the  forms  I  have  prepared. 

PRESIDENT  HOLLANDER  :     This  concludes  the  morning  session. 

Wednesday,  May  18. 
AFTERNOON   SESSION. 

PRESIDENT  HOLLANDER:  A  single  paper  has  been  prepared 
and  circulated  in  printed  form  among  those  whose  names  appear 
on  the  program  as  "Open  Discussion."  Upon  the  completion  of 
the  reading  of  this  paper  the  discussion  will  be  carried  on  by 
those  whose  names  appear,  after  which  it  will  be  put  before  the 
Conference  for  less  formal  discussion. 

The  principal  paper  will  now  be  read  by  Mr.  David  M.  Bressler, 
of  New  York. 

The  following  paper  on  the  subject,  "Removal  Work,  Including 
Galveston,"  was  then  read  by  the  reporter,  Mr.  David  M.  Bressler. 
of  New  York: 

THE  REMOVAL  WORK,  INCLUDING  GALVESTON. 

BY  DAVID  M.  BRESSLER, 
General  Manager  of  the  Industrial  Removal  Office. 

NEW  YORK,   N.  Y. 

It  is  now  a  little  over  nine  years  since  the  Industrial  Removal 
Office  was  instituted.  Whatever  the  opinion  may  be  as  to  the 
manner  and  efficiency  with  which  it  has  handled  the  work  for 
which  it  was  organized,  there  can  hardly  be  any  question  in  the 
mind  of  anyone  familiar  with  the  subject  that  it  is  beyond  the 
experimental  stage.  It  meets  a  definite  need  and  helps  to  solve 
a  definite  problem.  That  the  need  and  problem  exist,  no  one 
longer  questions.  The  solution  or  remedy  attempted  by  the  Re- 
moval Office,  namely,  the  distribution  of  Jewish  immigrants 


112  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

throughout  the  country,  was  given  its  initial  impetus  at  the 
memorable  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities  held  in  Detroit  in 
1902,  when  the  subject  was  presented  to  the  Conference  for  the 
first  time.  The  remarkable,  not  to  say  enthusiastic,  sympathy 
and  support  which  it  evoked,  is  historical,  and  it  is  no  exaggera- 
tion to  say  that  even  the  moderate  success  which  has  accom- 
panied the  efforts  of  the  Removal  Office  since  that  time,  can  be 
attributed  directly  to  the  influence  and  co-operation  of  the  cities 
which  were  represented  in  that  notable  Conference. 

How  efficient  the  work  of  the  Removal  Office  has  been,  can  best 
be  gathered  from  a  perusal  of  the  annual  reports  covering  the  years 
of  its  existence.  By  reason  of  the  fact  that  the  high  water  mark 
of  its  activities  was  reached  during  the  year  1907,  when  thou- 
sands of  Russian  Jews  were  fleeing  from  Pogrom  cities  and  from 
a  country  torn  by  revolutionary  strife,  it  might  be  inferred  in 
some  quarters  that  the  Removal  Office  is  designed  to  meet  spe- 
cial situations  such  as  pogroms  with  their  consequent  heavy 
stream  of  immigration  to  this  country.  It  should  be  stated  there- 
fore at  the  outset  that  the  Removal  work  has  no  such  one-sided 
aspect.  In  its  origin  that  may  have  been  the  immediate  cau^e 
for  its  creation,  but  in  its  basic  aspect  it  is  constructive.  In  its 
essence  and  principles  it  is  intended  to  act  as  a  clearing  house  of 
Jewish  immigration,  to  relieve,  and  to  prevent,  if  possible,  fur- 
ther congestion  at  the  port  of  entry.  The  systematic  distribu- 
tion of  the  incoming  masses  of  immigrants  tends  to  make  im- 
migration healthy  and  desirable.  There  is  enough  room  in  this 
country  for  millions  more  inhabitants,  provided  they  are  fairly 
distributed  and  are  not  allowed  to  clog  up  any  one  particular 
point.  By  judicious  distribution  only  the  benefits  of  immigra- 
tion will  be  felt  and  at  the  same  time  conditions  in  the  port  of 
entry  will  be  greatly  relieved.  The  immigrants  who  come  to  our 
shores  do  not  elect  New  York  as  a  stopping  place  for  the  sole 
reason  that  New  York  attracts  them.  But  without  discounting 
the  importance  of  this  influence  in  determining  their  destina- 
tion, it  is  also  a  fact  that  since  New  York  is  the  point  of  dis- 
embarking for  the  vast  majority  of  ocean  liners  sailing  from  the 
European  ports,  it  is  more  convenient  for  them  from  the  point 
of  view  of  expense  and  comforts,  and  so  what  was  intended  as 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  113 

immigration  to  America  becomes,  to  a  considerable  degree,  im- 
migration to  New  York.  Distribution  aims  to  make  immigra- 
tion to  America  a  fact  by  giving  every  State  in  the  Union  its 
proportionate  share.  Distribution,  however,  is  not  only  of  bene- 
fit to  the  country  at  large,  in  which  respect  it  would  be  of  purely 
sociological  or  politico-economic  value.  It  becomes  philanthropic 
as  well  when  it  touches  the  individual  immigrant  in  his  person 
and  gives  him  the  opportunity  to  be  tested  fairly  under  condi- 
tions favorable  to  the  working  out  of  his  economic  salvation. 
Eecognizing  that  his  foreign  tongue  and  his  foreign  culture  are 
in  themselves  sufficient  handicaps,  distribution  vouchsafes  him  at 
least  a  favorable  environment  where  he  may  the  sooner  over- 
come the  obstacles  in  his  path.  In  this  manner  it  logically 
evolves  classes  of  immigrants  who  may  be  reasonably  expected  to 
become  economically  independent. 

The  work  of  distribution  has  a  dual  aspect  as  has  already  been 
suggested.  On  the  one  hand  there  is  the  individual  man  of  flesh 
and  blood,  the  applicant  who  comes  with  a  request  to  be  removed 
from  New  York.  This  applicant  must  be  considered  fully  and 
fairly  to  obtain  a  correct  understanding  of  his  problem.  To 
idealize  him  and  to  imagine  him  to  be  other  than  he  is,  would 
be  fatal  to  every  effort  directed  towards  the  successful  handling 
of  his  case.  He  is  a  strange  mixture,  this  applicant.  On  the 
one  hand  he  is  basically  a  product  of  Old  World  conditions  with 
all  that  this  implies.  In  his  old  habitat  he  was  often  spiritually 
and  materially  cramped.  His  development  was  hindered  at  every 
point.  His  latent  and  native  ability  was  never  allowed  free  and 
full  play.  Projected  into  New  York  by  the  exigencies  of  fate,  his 
stay  in  the  metropolis,  if  it  has  done  anything,  has  tended  to  con- 
fuse him  and  to  render  him  at  odds  with  his  environment.  The 
transition  from  the  simple  and  almost  naive  life  in  Russia  to 
the  complexities  of  New  York  has  been  too  swift  and  sudden. 
Add  to  this  that  the  complex  economic  system  of  which  he  finds 
himself  an  integral  part,  makes  the  pursuit  of  a  livelihood  more 
strenuous  than  it  was  in  his  old  home  and  that  this  makes  him 
readily  receptive  of  the  gospel  of  unrest  and  dissatisfaction 
preached  to  him  at  every  turn,  he  is  not  the  ideal  material  from 
which  to  choose  pioneers  who  are  to  blaze  the  trail  of  a  new  life. 


114  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

Exercising  the  greatest  care  in  selection,  employing  a  systema- 
tized apparatus  of  organization,  the  Industrial  Removal  Office 
has  learned  that  even  the  best  applicant  is  far  from  being  a  per- 
fect specimen.  Mistakes  of  judgment,  therefore,  are  to  be  ex- 
pected and  should  occasion  no  surprise.  The  best  that  can  be 
hoped  for  is  the  elimination  of  the  least  desirable  and  to  separate 
the  wheat  from  the  chaff,  knowing  well  that  the  wheat  at  times 
may  not  be  of  the  best  quality.  The  ideal  applicant  would  sim- 
plify distribution  and  this  paper  would  not  have  to  be  written. 

Considering  the  applicant  in  the  aggregate,  the  discouraging 
aspect  of  the  work  vanishes.  In  the  case  of  the  aggregate  an 
average  can  be  struck  and  from  experience  the  average  is  a  rea- 
sonably high  one.  After  all,  50,000  Jews  have  been  removed, 
and  granting  that  but  85%  of  these  have  remained  at  the  places 
to  which  they  were  sent,  something  worth  while  has  been  ac- 
complished. There  is  no  method  by  which  we  can  compute  the 
number  that  these  50,000  have  attracted  without  the  aid  of  the 
Removal  office  or  any  other  agency,  but  it  must  be  considerable. 
A  case  in  point  is  that  of  a  certain  city  in  Indiana,  which  ten 
years  ago  had  a  Jewish  population  of  not  more  than  thirty 
families  all  of  German  origin.  Today,  a  conservative  estimate 
places  the  number  at  one  thousand.  The  Removal  Office  has  not 
sent  more  than  one-third  of  that  number. 

The  work  of  directing  this  distribution  with  all  the  problems 
incidental  thereto,  belongs  to  the  Removal  Office.  When  the  ap- 
plicant is  selected  and  sent  off  to  his  destination,  he  becomes  the 
care  of  the  receiving  community.  It  is  but  natural,  in  view  of 
the  fact  that  the  co-operating  communities  handle  but  compara- 
tively few  cases,  that  each  case  is  received  and  viewed  individu- 
ally and  that  the  larger  aspect  of  the  work  is  often  lost  sight  of. 
And  if  the  new  arrival  should  give  undue  trouble  and  annoy- 
ance, as  he  often  does,  the  receiving  community  not  infrequently 
becomes  discouraged,  and  at  times  expresses  a  disinclination  to 
continue  its  co-operation.  But  the  co-operating  cities  ought  not 
to  regard  individual  cases  in  the  light  of  individual  problems, 
but  as  a  part  of  the  great  problem  of  distribution.  Distribu- 
tion must  be  attended  with  annoyance,  trouble  and  disappoint- 
ment, unless  human  nature  be  eliminated.  We  must  not  lose 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  115 

sight  of  the  character  and  make-up  of  the  large  mass  of  Jewish 
immigrants.  We  must  not  be  afraid  to  admit  that  the  Jewish 
immigrant  is  not  unlike  his  fellowman,  that  he  is  an  admixture 
of  virtues  and  vices.  For  the  creation  of  a  good,  sturdy  class 
of  citizens,  however,  the  Jewish  immigrant  possesses  every  quali- 
fication. He  is  energetic,  sober,  conservative  and  ambitious,  and 
therefore  his  presence  in  great  numbers  in  this  country  cannot 
in  any  way  be  construed  as  derogatory  to  its  best  interests.  Let 
his  deficiencies  be  viewed  frankly  and  tolerantly,  bearing  in  mind 
that  they  are  neither  native  nor  yet  deep-rooted,  but  are  rather 
the  effect  of  persecution.  The  problem  therefore  is  to  provide 
him  with  the  proper  environment  where  he  may  gradually  de- 
velop his  inherent  virtues  and  ultimately  work  out  his  destiny. 
Let  this  work  be  carried  on  intelligently  and  sympathetically  for 
a  number  of  years  and  there  will  be  created  a  class  of  Jewish 
artisans  recruited  from  the  Jewish  immigrant  class,  which  will 
prove  not  only  a  welcome  addition  to  the  Jewish  communities  of 
our  land,  but  an  important  factor  in  the  industrial  life  of  the 
various  cities  throughout  the  country  as  well.  That  this  is  de- 
sirable, all  will  admit,  and  were  we  asked  to  suggest  out  of 
the  diversity  of  our  experience  certain  general  rules  to  aid  co- 
operating communities  to  achieve  a  fair  measure  of  success  in 
their  work,  we  might  offer  the  following  for  their  guidance: 

1.  The  arriving  immigrant  ought  never  to  be  regarded  as  a 
charity  case  in  the  same  sense  in  which  any  local  case  of  de- 
pendency is  regarded,  for  without  prejudice,  at  the  very  start 
the  new-comer  is  neither  delinquent  nor  deficient.  By  presump- 
tion he  has  not  succeeded  in  New  York,  but  for  reasons  beyond 
his  control.  The  change  in  locale  is  supposed  to  remove  the 
main  disadvantage  under  which  he  has  previously  labored.  His 
primary  motive  for  leaving  New  York  was  to  secure  employ- 
ment, and  this  is  in  substance  what  the  Removal  Office  promised 
him.  He  should,  therefore,  be  treated  as  a  new-comer  who  has 
come  to  fill  a  definite  place  in  the  life  of  the  community.  The 
period  of  waiting  for  his  job  should  not  be  prolonged,  for  in  that 
period  all  the  vexations  crop  out  and  it  becomes  a  short  step  to 
consider  him  a  problem,  and  when  food  and  shelter  during  idle- 
ness are  involved,  a  "charity"  problem.  As  soon  as  this  hap- 


116  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

pens  his  satisfactory  readjustment  with  his  new  environment  is 
delayed.  Effective  co-operation  which  recognizes  this  danger,  will 
seek  to  avoid  it,  not  alone  for  the  individual's  sake,  but  in  order 
to  protect  the  community  as  well.  The  new-comer  must  never 
be  made  to  feel  that  the  question  of  his  future  has  been  taken 
out  of  his  hands  and  has  been  assumed  by  a  kindly  disposed 
community. 

2.  The  kind  of  a  position  to  be  secured  for  the  new-comer 
is  an  important  consideration.     It  will  not  do  to  settle  the  mat- 
ter by  placing  him  to  work  at  anything  which  may  be  ready  at 
hand.     It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  change  in  environ- 
ment is  supposed  to  benefit  him.     The  sudden  change  of  occu- 
pation will  tend  to  nullify  very  largely  the  good  results.     This  is 
just  the  trouble  in  New  York  which  distribution  aims  to  obviate, 
namely,  that  very  often  good  mechanics  in  highly  skilled  trades 
are   forced   to  accept  employment  in  one  of   the  needle   trades, 
either  as  pressers  or  operators,  because  they  cannot  secure  work 
at  their  respective  trades.     To  duplicate  this  state  of  affairs  in 
the  new  home  would  be  fatal.     The  task  that  the  receiving  com- 
munity should  set  before  itself  is,  to  provide  the  arriving  me- 
chanic  as   far   as   possible   with   work   which   will    demand    and 
make  use  of  his  fullest  ability  and  skill,  and  for  which  he  will 
receive   at  least  a  sum  approximating  his  real   earning  powers. 
We  realize  that  this  end  may  not  always  be  easily  reached  and 
not  infrequently  it  is  impossible  to  attain  it  for  some  time  after 
his  arrival,  but  there  should  be  an  earnest  attempt  in  that  direc- 
tion.    In  sending  workingmen  to  the  communities,  the  Industrial 
Removal  Office  has  always  tried  to  bear  in  mind  the  specific  needs 
of  the  communities,  the  kind  of  factories  and  the  character  of 
labor  most  in  demand.     We  realize  that  this  policy  on  the  part 
of  the  Removal  Office  has  done  much  to  smooth  the  way  for  the 
receiving  community  when  the  work  of  placing  the  man  is  be- 
fore it. 

3.  When  the  workingman  has  been  placed  to  the  best  advan- 
tage at  a  job  where  he  may  reasonably  be  supposed  to  get  along, 
the  work  is  not  necessarily  complete.     Thus  far  his  physical  self 
has  been  taken  care  of.    If  the  interest  in  him  stops  at  this  point, 
the  solution  of  his  problem  has  not  yet  been  reached.     The  Jew- 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  117 

ish  immigrant  may  be  strongly  individualistic  but  paradoxical  as 
it  may  seem,  he  is  just  as  strongly  gregarious.  He  craves  the  so- 
ciety and  companionship  of  his  fellow-Jews.  Where  there  is  al- 
ready a  resident  colony  of  Jews  of  the  same  East-European  origin, 
the  problem  is  a  simple  one  and  will  work  itself  out.  The  new- 
comer will  be  attracted  and  absorbed  by  this  element.  To  visit 
their  synagogues,  to  join  their  lodges,  to  fall  in  with  their  mode 
of  life  will  be  a  natural  course.  In  the  case  of  communities, 
however,  in  which  there  are  few  or  no  East-European  Jews, 
great  care  must  be  exercised  to  make  the  stranger  feel  at  home 
and  to  win  him  over  gradually  to  the  life  of  the  community.  As 
soon  as  he  is  made  to  feel  that  he  is  a  man  among  men  and  a 
Jew  among  Jews,  his  problem  ceases  to  be  a  problem.  I  appre- 
ciate that  this  result  is  more  easily  attained  in  words  than  in 
actual  fact,  and  many  are  the  pitfalls  which  must  be  avoided  if 
this  end  is  to  be  reached.  The  man  may  be  sincerely  religious  or 
he  may  be  indifferent  to  religious  matters;  in  every  case  his  hon- 
est convictions  should  be  respected  and  treated  tactfully.  Above 
all,  he  must  not  be  regarded  with  a  patronizing  air.  His  self- 
respect  must  not  be  injured,  and  if  a  number  of  these  men  are 
sent  to  any  one  city,  it  is  inadvisable  to  herd  them  together  and 
thereby  to  accentuate  their  distinctness  as  the  Removal  Office  con- 
tingent or  by  any  other  convenient  appellation.  In  short,  each 
community  must  bring  to  the  work  of  handling  this  problem  of 
distribution,  common  sense,  system  and  sympathy.  They  must 
all  go  hand  in  hand. 

In  sketching  the  foregoing  vade  mecum  for  the  receiving  com- 
munities, there  is  no  implication  intended  that  heretofore  the 
communities  co-operating  with  the  Removal  office  have  disregarded 
these  rules  and  have  handled  the  problem  in  haphazard  manner. 
On  the  contrary,  if  it  is  at  all  possible  to  lay  down  any  rules,  it 
is  because  the  communities  themselves  which  have  done  the  work 
most  successfully  in  the  past  are  those  which  have  made  it  possi- 
ble to  formulate  them.  It  may  seem  strange,  however,  that  the  re- 
ceiving community  is  expected  to  achieve  signal  success  with  the 
material  which  we  ourselves  have  admitted  to  be  without  de- 
fects. The  qualification,  however,  must  not  be  lost  sight  of,  that 
the  shortcomings  are  only  'the  result  of  environment.  For  all  prac- 


118  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

tical  purposes  a  very  fair  proportion  of  the  mechanics  who  apply  to 
the  Removal  Office  are  highly  skilled.  It  is  a  far  superior  class 
in  this  respect  to  the  class  which  emigrated  from  Russia  in  the 
80's  and  early  90's.  Since  that  time,  Russia  has  undergone  a 
great  industrial  development.  In  the  wake  of  this  development 
large  factory  towns  have  arisen.  Improved  machinery  and  im- 
proved methods  are  today  the  rule.  The  Jewish  artisan  of  today 
coming  from  these  towns  is  therefore  much  better  qualified  to 
handle  American  machinery,  but  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  he 
be  as  expert  as  the  native  American  workingman.  He  will  be 
slow  at  first  and  unused  to  American  factory  methods.  His  lack 
of  the  language  must  needs  also  prove  a  serious  impediment. 
But  speed,  method  and  language  may  be  acquired.  The  import- 
ant need  is,  that  the  skilled  mechanic  be  given  the  opportunity 
as  quickly  as  possible  to  engage  in  his  trade  so  that  the  period 
of  adapting  himself  to  American  methods  be  gotten  over  with 
speedily.  It  is  for  the  smaller  cities  and  towns  to  supply  the 
opportunity.  This  end  in  and  of  itself  would  make  the  work 
of  the  Removal  Office  highly  desirable;  but  when  in  addition 
thereto  the  communities  come  to  realize  that  distribution  sys- 
tematically carried  out  must  needs  prove  of  great  value  to  the 
country  at  large,  a  double  motive  is  supplied.  Everyone  is  aware 
of  the  fact  that  the  bulk  of  the  general  population  is  confined 
to  certain  definite  and  narrow  sections  of  our  country.  Without 
referring  to  the  prairie  lands,  government  lands  and  deserts  which 
must  be  developed  along  agricultural  lines  or  are  impossible  of 
development,  as  the  case  may  be,  there  are  still  vast  states  and 
sections  of  states  abounding  in  cities  and  towns  which  have  not 
yet  reached  the  zenith  of  their  industrial  development,  by  rea- 
son of  the  fact  that  the  population  is  sparse  and  that  as  a  conse- 
quence there  is  a  scarcity  of  labor.  The  problem,  therefore,  is  to 
dove-tail  the  two  needs;  on  the  one  hand  the  need  of  an  outlet 
for  the  surplus  population  of  the  congested  sections  of  the  coun- 
try— on  the  other  hand,  the  need  for  additional  population  com- 
posed of  a  thrifty  class  of  laborers  on  the  part  of  the  sparsely  set- 
tled sections. 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  argued  that  this  is  a  rather  broad  plat- 
form for  work  which  is,  after  all,  limited  in  scope;  that  the  fact 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  119 

of  scattering  seven  or  eight  thousand  Jews  a  year  over  a  broad 
land  would  hardly  have  an  appreciable  effect  on  any  one  section, 
but  it  is  well  to  look  ahead.  The  Jew  in  Eussia  is  today  no  more 
immune  from  persecution  and  pogroms  than  he  has  been  in  the 
past,  and  he  may  again  be  made  the  scapegoat  for  the  deficiencies 
of  the  Russian  Bureaucracy.  We  do  not  desire  to  anticipate,  and 
we  fervently  hope  that  any  misgivings  which  we  may  have  on 
this  score  may  be  groundless.  But  in  the  light  of  what  has  hap- 
pened before,  we  should  not  ignore  the  lessons  of  the  past.  It  is 
not  impossible  that  events  may  transpire  in  Eussia  which  would 
again  send  a  stream  of  immigrants  to  the  United  States;  out- 
pourings of  sympathy  there  will  be  in  plenty  as  there  have  been 
in  the  past,  but  it  will  be  more  advantageous  to  all  concerned  if 
we  be  prepared  to  handle  the  unfortunate  victims  with  intelli- 
gence and  system.  It  is  not  advisable  that  three-fourths  of  any 
large  number  that  may  be  driven  here  follow  the  example  of 
their  precursors  and  remain  in  the  port  of  entry.  It  is  prefera- 
ble to  perfect  the  machinery  of  distribution  and  by  the  strength- 
ening of  existing  and  by  opening  up  new  avenues  of  co-operation, 
to  pave  the  way  for  an  even  and  judicious  distribution  of  the 
majority  of  them  over  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land. 

It  would  be  futile  to  say  that  the  work  of  distribution,  as 
it  has  thus  far  been  carried  on  by  the  Eemoval  Office,  has  been 
sufficiently  widespread  to  be  considered  equable.  While  it  is  true 
that  its  beneficiaries  have  been  sent  to  over  eleven  hundred  cities 
and  towns  in  the  United  States,  the  bulk  of  the  Eemoval  Office 
applicants  have  been  sent  to  cities  of  the  class  to  which  Buffalo, 
Detroit,  Cleveland,  Pittsburg,  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis  belong. 
The  result  is  that  such  cities  have  borne  the  brunt  of  the  Indus- 
trial Eemoval  Office  distribution.  Despite  the  fact  that  the  Ee- 
moval Office  has  rarely  exceeded  the  number  which  these  com- 
munities expressed  their  willingness  and  preparedness  to  accept, 
yet  it  cannot  be  denied  that  in  proportion  to  the  entire  number 
distributed,  these  cities  have  done  more  than  their  fair  share. 
Considering  the  work  of  distribution  in  the  light  of  its  ultimate 
object,  namely,  the  creation  of  nuclei  throughout  the  country 
which  will  attract  to  these  points  a  fair  proportion  of  the  in- 
coming immigrants,  it  would  not  be  wise  to  make  these  cities 


120  PKOCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

continue  to  absorb  the  bulk  of  the  Eemoval  Office  applicants. 
To  supplant  the  four  or  five  ports  of  entry,  to  which  the  bulk 
of  immigration  is  at  present  attracted,  with  thirty  or  even  forty 
other  cities  of  respectable  size  is  a  measureable  improvement,  but 
too  slight  in  degree  to  serve  as  a  comprehensive  solution  of  the 
problem.  But  it  should  not  be  inferred  from  this  that  outside 
of  the  cities  of  the  class  which  has  been  mentioned  there  has  not 
been  considerable  distribution.  Indeed,  there  are  quite  a  num- 
ber of  smaller  communities  that  have  rendered  splendid  service. 
But  in  the  main  the  co-operation  accorded  by  the  majority  of  the 
smaller  cities  and  towns  has  been  spasmodic  at  best.  Various 
reasons  have  been  offered  in  excuse  for  the  inability  or  disinclina- 
tion, as  the  case  may  be,  to  co-operate;  sometimes,  that  employ- 
ment was  not  available.  As  to  this,  it  is  a  fact  that  instances 
have  not  been  rare  when  at  the  time  that  co-operation  had  been 
refused  for  the  aforementioned  reason,  requisitions  have  been  re- 
ceived at  the  Kemoval  Office  directly  from  superintendents  of 
shops  and  factories  in  those  very  towns.  At  other  times,  the 
excuse  has  been  that  disappointing  experiences  in  the  past  with 
one  of  the  Eemoval  Office  applicants  rendered  co-operation,  in 
their  opinion,  ineffective.  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  but 
that  some  of  our  beneficiaries,  by  their  unreasonable  conduct, 
have  influenced  well-intentioned  communities  to  adopt  this  atti- 
tude. But  they  have  lost  sight  of  the  fact  that  a  big  movement 
must  not  be  judged  in  the  light  of  their  experience  with  isolated 
cases.  The  perfection  of  the  work  of  distribution  makes  it  im- 
perative that  the  smaller  communities  offer  a  more  extensive  co- 
operation than  heretofore.  It  would  be  highly  desirable  if  it 
could  be  brought  about  that  the  larger  cities  be  given,  so  to 
speak,  a  breathing  spell,  a  period  in  which  they  could  thoroughly 
assimilate  all  those  who  have  been  sent  in  the  past  and  adjust 
all  the  little  problems  and  details.  This  period  of  rest  and  ad- 
justment would  render  these  communities  better  fit  to  take  care 
of  future  cases  directed  to  them.  This  ideal  arrangement  will 
not  be  possible,  however,  until  the  smaller  communities  of  the 
25,000  to  75,000  population  class  do  their  full  duty  towards  the 
movement. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE    OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  121 

The  question  is  pertinent  as  to  what  kind  of  mechanics  or 
workingmen  the  Industrial  Eemoval  Office  ought  to  send  to  co- 
operating cities.  It  would  seem  that  the  answer  to  this  would 
not  be  difficult  in  view  of  the  fact  that  among  the  beneficiaries 
of  the  Removal  Office  since  its  existence  221  different  trades  and 
callings  are  represented.  Even  more  significant  than  this  is  the 
1909  report  of  the  Commissioner  General  of  Immigration,  in 
which  he  points  out  that  among  the  Jewish  immigrants  of  that 
year,  every  class  of  workingman  was  found  with  the  single  ex- 
ception of  shipwrights.  But  despite  this,  we  are  at  times  so  re- 
stricted as  to  the  kind  of  men  that  we  are  permitted  to  send, 
that  it  happens  not  infrequently  that  out  of  a  roomful  of  other- 
wise eligible  applicants,  a  very  small  number  answer  the  specific 
demands  from  co-operating  cities.  If  the  expressed  preferences 
of  the  receiving  communities  be  taken  into  account,  very  little 
work  could  be  accomplished.  One  community  prefers  married 
men  with  families,  another  prefers  single  men;  one  would  like 
to  have  high  class  custom  tailors  during  the  busy  season,  for- 
getting that  a  high  class  custom  tailor  might  find  it  convenient 
and  profitable  to  stay  in  New  York.  An  example  of  the  mis- 
taken notion  of  the  idea  of  distribution  is  the  case  of  the  com- 
munal leader  of  a  certain  city  writing  to  the  Removal  Office  that 
his  community  felt  the  need  of  assisting  in  the  worthy  cause  and 
that  as  a  beginning  they  would  accept  a  high  class  barber  who 
could  command  a  salary  of  $20.00  a  week  and  who  is  English- 
speaking.  It  did  not  occur  to  the  gentleman's  mind  that  a  bar- 
ber answering  these  requirements  would  hardly  have  need  to  ap- 
ply to  the  Removal  Office  or  any  other  distributing  agency  for 
assistance.  If  the  wishes  of  some  of  the  co-operating  cities  were 
to  be  taken  into  account,  the  applicants  would  have  to  be  drafted 
from  among  the  successful  immigrants.  This  would  not  solve 
the  immediate  problem  of  the  man  who  looks  to  distribution  as 
his  economic  salvation.  For  this  reason  while  it  is  possible  to 
comply  with  the  expressed  preferences  of  the  co-operating  cities 
in  respect  to  trades,  size  of  families,  married  men  or  single  men, 
to  a  certain  extent,  the  distributing  agency  is  forced  by  the  cir- 
cumstances pointed  out  to  reserve  for  itself  the  right  of  final  se- 
lection. Thus  it  will  happen  that  the  distributing  points  will 


122  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE  SIXTH 

sometimes  find  themselves  beset  with  problems  which  they  ought 
to  attack  with  the  consciousness  of  the  immensity  of  the  problem 
as  a  whole  and  with  the  unselfish  desire  to  contribute  their  small 
though  important  share  in  its  solution. 

Those  who  are  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  Industrial  Removal 
Office  are  fully  aware  that  the  sum  total  of  50,000  removed  per- 
sons in  a  period  of  nine  years  is  not  a  sum  of  intrinsic  greatness 
when  it  is  considered  that  there  are  at  present  900,000  Jews  in 
the  metropolis;  that  the  number  continues  to  grow,  and  that  twice 
50,000  Jews  may  arrive  at  the  Port  of  New  York  in  any  one  year. 
They  are  also  aware  of  the  fact  that  with  its  present  machinery 
of  organization  and  with  the  limited  funds  at  its  disposal,  the 
number  of  removals  would  hardly  exceed  7,000  to  8,000  per  an- 
num. They  feel,  however,  that  the  work  of  the  Industrial  Re- 
moval Office  ought  not  to  be  regarded  as  an  end  but  as  a  be- 
ginning. To  handle  an  individual  case  successfully,  to  trans- 
plant a  family  into  an  environment  favorable  to  its  future  well- 
being,  to  solve  the  every-day  problem  of  food  and  shelter  for  the 
family,  are  in  themselves  highly  important  as  viewed  from  the 
point  of  immediate  relief.  But  the  Removal  Office  aims  to  trans- 
cend the  bounds  of  practical  philanthropy  and  to  propagate  the 
idea  of  general  distribution.  It  seeks  to  make  distribution  an 
automatic  movement  independent  of  any  directing  agency  or  in- 
stitutional assistance.  Its  aim  is  to  act  as  an  invisible  force  to 
direct  the  stream  of  Jewish  workingmen  to  our  Western  country, 
and  it  sets  before  itself  the  ideal  that  the  time  may  come  that 
of  the  Jews  who  land  at  Ellis  Island  in  any  one  year,  a  majority 
of  them  will  voluntarily  and  instantly  depart  for  the  interior 
upon  their  own  initiative  and  without  outside  assistance. 

This  ideal,  I  dare  hope,  is  not  impossible  of  realization,  pro- 
vided a  well-defined  and  ceaseless  programme  of  propaganda  be 
adopted  and  carried  out.  By  reason  of  its  experience  and  its 
unique  position,  the  Removal  Office  ought  itself  to  act  as  the 
fountain-head  of  these  propaganda.  Not  only  will  it  serve  as  the 
experimental  laboratory,  but  also  as  the  directive  and  impelling 
force  to  give  impetus  to  the  movement,  taking  it  out  of  the  ex- 
perimental stage.  To  enable  the  Removal  Office  to  perform  this 
work,  it  will  be  necessary  that  this  organization  be  strengthened 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  123 

and  perfected  in  its  every  department.  Those  who  are  in  charge 
of  the  work  and  who  have  grown  up  with  it,  are  directing  their 
best  energies  to  improved  method.  Their  work  will  be  futile, 
however,  unless  it  is  reinforced  by  the  more  intensive  and  exten- 
sive co-operation  of  the  entire  country. 

Thus  far,  distribution  has  been  discussed  with  New  York  and 
other  Atlantic  Coast  Ports  as  important  factors.  The  problem, 
briefly  stated,  was  the  handling  of  the  large  masses  of  Jewish  im- 
migrants congested  in  these  cities.  A  radical  departure  from  this 
view  of  the  problem  is  presented  by  what  has  come  to  be  popu- 
larly known  as  the  "Galveston"  Movement. 

THE   GALVESTON    MOVEMENT. 

This  movement,  inaugurated  and  supported  by  the  generosity 
of  Mr.  Jacob  H.  Schiff,  for  diverting  Jewish  immigration  from 
the  Eastern  seaboard  towns  to  the  territory  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Eiver  with  Galveston  as  the  Port  of  Entry,  is  the  first  de- 
liberate effort  in  America  to  divert  the  Jewish  immigrant  from 
the  Atlantic  Port  cities.  It  is  the  attempt  to  divert  the  current 
from  those  few  places  where  it  has  come  to  a  head,  and  where  the 
height  of  the  tide  is  creating  problems  of  great  import  to  Ameri- 
can Jewry.  Discounting  the  exaggerations  of  the  muck-raking 
magazines  which  contrive  to  find  every  ill,  real  and  imaginary,  in 
New  York's  crowded  Jewish  quarter,  the  very  fact  that  the  peculiar 
conditions  to  be  found  in  that  quarter  make  it  a  fertile  field  for 
magazine  exploitation  to  the  discredit  of  American  Jewry,  ought 
to  be  of  vital  concern  to  those  who  desire  that  the  settlement  of 
Jews  in  this  country  be  normal  and  not  involved  with  any  vex- 
ing problems.  To  summarize  the  Jewish  immigration  of  the  last 
seventy  years  which  practically  covers  the  important  periods  of 
Jewish  immigration,  is  to  rehearse  an  oft-repeated  story.  It  has 
its  place  here,  however,  for  it  will  help  in  securing  the 
proper  perspective  towards  the  Jewish  Immigrants'  Information 
Bureau,  the  name  under  which  the  Galveston  movement  is  car- 
ried on. 

Jewish  immigration  in  America  falls  under  two  classifications, 
the  Western  European  and  the  Eastern  European.  The  Western, 
or  what  has  come  to  be  regarded  as  the  German,  dates  back 


124  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

to  the  early  40's  of  the  last  century,  and  began  with  the  pioneers 
who  fled  the  German  petty  kingdoms,  which  by  persecution  and 
despotism  drove  the  first  notable  body  of  Jewish  immigrants  to 
America.  Here  they  worked  their  way  to  success  upon  unbeaten 
mercantile  paths.  This  was  followed  by  a  larger  contingent  when 
the  German  Kevolution  of  1848  was  suppressed.  Within  three 
decades  this  element  had  become  assimilated,  for  America  was 
in  the  building,  and  the  thrifty  immigrant  of  that  epoch  fitted 
easily  into  the  material  and  spiritual  conditions  of  his  adopted 
country  and  made  the  most  of  them. 

The  Eastern  European  immigration  with  its  source  in  Russia, 
Roumania,  Galicia  and  Hungary,  is  of  greater  issue.  In  com- 
parison with  its  yearly  drift  of  nearly  100,000,  the  German  ac- 
cession will  shortly  pale  into  insignificance.  This  stream  empties 
into  the  strip  of  territory  which  borders  the  Atlantic  Coast;  and 
except  for  the  overflow  into  the  large  inland  cities  of  Chicago, 
St.  Louis,  Cincinnati  and  Cleveland,  and  the  dribble  into  the 
Pacific  port  towns,  it  is  at  points  contiguous  to  the  Atlantic 
Coast  that  the  volume  remains.  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Balti- 
more and  Boston  absorb  the  greater  part  of  this  new  influx.  So 
that  while  the  center  of  population  in  the  United  States  is  mov- 
ing Westward  and  may  soon  tilt  Southwestward,  what  may  be 
considered  the  Jewish  center  of  population  has  not  followed  this 
normal  shift. 

Although  the  cost  of  transportation  and  the  social  attraction 
of  large  centers  have  contributed  in  retarding  the  drift  West- 
ward, the  uncertainty  regarding  the  material  advantages  in  the 
small  town  has  been  a  large  factor  in  determining  whither  the 
mass  of  immigrants  will  gravitate.  If  this  holds  good  for  the 
section  east  of  the  Mississippi,  how  much  more  unattractive,  even 
repelling,  must  the  Hinterland  appear,  which  is  a  veritable  land 
of  mystery  both  to  the  recent  new-comer  and  the  intending  emi- 
grant from  Eastern  Europe. 

The  port  of  Galveston  invited  entry;  but  to  take  the  plunge 
into  the  Hinterland  where  Yiddish  may  be  an  unknown  tongue, 
kosher  food  an  unknown  thing,  and  labor  opportunities  limited, 
was  left  only  to  the  most  daring.  Those  who  might  have  pre- 
viously penetrated  this  far  Western  section  and  have  won  ma- 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  125 

terial  success,  could  hardly  prove  lode-stones;  for  daring  as  the 
Russian  is  in  his  philosophy,  he  is  conservative  in  action;  he 
could  make  his  wants  known  in  his  own  language  in  New  York 
and  other  Eastern  cities;  and  if  his  wants  were  dire,  his  friends 
and  fellow-countrymen  were  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand.  The 
West,  on  the  other  hand,  loomed  chill.  No  Yiddish  news  eman- 
ated from  it  that  could  influence  the  East-Sider  of  New  York  or 
reach  across  the  sea.  The  very  names  of  these  cities  were  almost 
as  unkonwn  in  New  York  as  in  the  Pale.  As  a  result,  the  Bus- 
sian  immigrant  regarded  the  Hinterland  with  the  same  feeling 
that  a  child  might  regard  a  dark  room. 

To  carry  the  parallel  further,  how  could  this  dark  interior  be 
lighted  up  so  that  the  frightened  child  might  walk  into  it  with 
confidence?  The  answer  to  this  question  was  the  creation  of  the 
Galveston  movement,  organized  with  the  purpose  of  popularizing 
the  West  and  Southwest  as  objective  points  for  Jewish  immigra- 
tion. The  opportunities  in  what  is  as  yet  an  undeveloped  field 
present  an  array  of  facts,  bearing  out  the  contention,  that  the 
immigrant,  in  throwing  in  his  destiny  with  the  newer  sections 
of  the  United  States  will  reap  the  benefits  of  a  growing  country 
where  the  struggle  for  a  livelihood  is  not  so  intense,  and  where 
the  environment  is  more  favorable. 

On  his  arrival  at  Galveston  the  immigrant  comes  under  the 
direction  of  an  institution  which  has  literally  paved  the  way  for 
him.  The  Jewish  Immigrants'  Information  Bureau  in  creating 
committees  in  all  of  the  growing  towns  of  the  West  and  South- 
west, deliberately  seeks  to  make  the  immigrants'  beginning  easier. 
It  sees  to  it  that  with  the  aid  of  the  local  committees  the  immi- 
grant is  properly  cared  for  until  work  is  obtained  for  him  and 
that  he  is  accorded  that  friendship  and  sympathy  which  are  so 
essential  to  the  spiritual  well-being  of  the  stranger.  In  this  way 
every  incentive  is  given  him  to  accommodate  himself  to  the  new 
conditions  of  life  which  he  encounters. 

It  is  a  tender  shoot  which  the  Bureau  is  nursing  into  life.  If 
the  spirit  of  supervision  appears  over-scrupulous  and  over-helpful, 
it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Bureau  is  not  intent  upon  per- 
petuating its  own  existence.  It  is  bent  upon  another  mission  en- 
tirely. It  hopes  to  divert  from  the  Eastern  ports  a  sufficiently 


126  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

large  number  of  Jewish  immigrants  to  the  West  and  Southwest 
who  will  eventually  become  centers  of  attraction  in  themselves, 
and  who  will  make  of  the  Hinterland  a  reality  and  rob  it  of  its 
isolation  and  uncertainty. 

Even  were  the  Galveston  movement  to  be  regarded  as  an  ex- 
periment (which  will  hardly  be  borne  out  by  its  record  of  nearly 
2,000  immigrants  distributed  through  that  Port  despite  the  in- 
dustrial panic  that  came  on  the  heels  of  its  formation),  the  con- 
ditions favoring  its  success  are  natural  ones  and  not  the  result  of 
an  artificial  stimulus.  In  the  first  place  there  is  the  demand  for 
labor  in  the  West  and  Southwest  arising  from  the  development 
of  these  sections.  The  entrance  of  Eussian  Jewish  labor  into 
these  parts  is  not  an  invasion  but  a  necessary  addition  to  the 
industrial  growth  of  a  dozen  states.  It  is  a  notable  fact,  for  in- 
stance, that  immigrants  coming  through  the  Bureau  are  finding 
work  in  railroad  shops,  and  even  more  significant  than  this  is 
the  fact  that  in  quite  a  number  of  instances  co-operating  agen- 
cies have  been  able  to  find  employment  for  the  newly  arrived  im- 
migrants at  their  own  trades  on  the  very  same  day  of  their  ar- 
rival in  the  city  to  which  they  were  sent  by  the  Bureau. 

Secondly,  the  pioneer  German  Jews  in  the  states  that  may  be 
conveniently  termed  "Bureau  Territory"  have  on  the  whole  not 
been  backward  in  accepting  the  Galveston  movement  as  an  es- 
sentially sound  one;  while  the  Eussian  Jewish  element  which 
had  already  won  a  foothold  in  this  section,  has  entered  into  the 
work  most  sympathetically. 

Thirdly,  it  has  been  noticed  that  the  effect  of  the  movement  has 
been  to  infuse  something  akin  to  the  pioneer  spirit  into  the  immi- 
grant. That  some  of  the  immigrants  should  feel  the  lure  of  the 
Eastern  cities  and  should  drift  there  at  the  first  opportunity  ia 
hardly  surprising.  A  secondary  drift  takes  place  from  the  town 
in  which  the  immigrant  has  been  placed  to  the  next  larger  town 
within  striking  distance,  and  there  the  initial  impulse  appears  to 
exhaust  itself.  But  a  noteworthy  feature  is  the  frequent  drift 
towards  the  smaller  communities  within  easy  reach. 

Fourthly,  the  fact  that  employment  is  found  for  the  immigrant 
on  his  arrival  at  his  destination,  serves  as  the  prime  factor  in 
making  the  immigrant  a  fixture.  To  secure  a  livelihood  is  hi« 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  127 

elemental  need.  Other  factors  being  fairly  satisfactory  (the 
proximity  of  other  Russians,  kosher  food,  religious  services)  this 
one  determines  his  status  as  a  permanent  dweller  in  the  com- 
munity. 

Fifthly,  where  the  success  of  the  movement  two  decades  ago 
might  have  been  jeopardized  by  the  very  high  percentage  of  un- 
skilled labor  which  must  necessarily  have  come,  today,  as  already 
stated  before,  the  industrial  development  of  Eussia  and  its  trend 
towards  modernity  in  method  and  production,  is  developing  an 
artisan  who,  aside  of  the  handicap  of  a  different  form  of  speech, 
compares  much  more  favorably  with  the  American  artisan  than 
was  the  case  a  decade  or  two  ago.  The  Bureau  has  reports  from 
several  co-operating  communities  of  skilled  workers  who  earn  over 
$20.00  a  week. 

Therefore,  for  the  reasons  above  outlined,  the  Galveston  move- 
ment, which  has  for  its  object  the  systematic  direction  and  dis- 
tribution of  the  Jewish  immigration  which  will  come  to  this 
country  in  the  natural  course  of  events,  should  be  welcomed  and 
regarded  sympathetically  by  all.  The  Galveston  movement  if  care- 
fully nurtured  has  in  it  the  possibilities  of  becoming  one  of  the 
most  effective  means  of  solving  the  problem  of  even  distribution. 

If  at  present  the  Bureau's  activities  are  limited,  it  must  not  be 
forgotten  that  it  is  laboring  under  certain  disadvantages  and  handi- 
caps not  within  its  control.  First  and  foremost  is  the  existing  and 
wide-spread  prejudice  in  favor  of  New  York  as  a  landing  place.  It 
will  take  many  years  before  it  can  be  hoped  to  remove  this. 
Furthermore,  the  competition  between  Galveston  and  New  York 
is  an  unfair  one.  Granted  that  Galveston  can  convince  the  intend- 
ing immigrant  that  it  is  for  his  best  welfare  that  he  elect  to  enter 
America  via  that  port,  the  fact  still  remains  that  Galveston  does 
not  as  yet  hold  out  to  him  the  allurements  of  swift  ocean  grey- 
hounds upon  which  he  can  travel  in  comparative  comfort  even  in 
the  despised  steerage.  In  short,  Galveston  does  not  offer  adequate 
transportation  facilities.  Only  one  steamship  line  from  Europe 
makes  the  port  regularly,  and  then  only  once  in  three  weeks,  and 
because  of  the  absence  of  competition  the  trip  is  very  long  and 
tedious  and  the  steamers  inferior  to  those  crossing  to  New  York. 


128  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

The  removal  of  these  physical  disadvantages  will  prove  important 
factors  in  making  Galveston  more  popular. 

Then  again,  the  ignorance  of  the  immigrant  of  American  geo- 
graphy in  general  and  of  Galveston  in  particular,  will  have  to  be 
counteracted  by  a  well-defined  programme  of  propaganda.  The 
fixed  idea  in  the  minds  of  most  intending  immigrants  that  New 
York  and  America  are  synonymous,  must  be  up-rooted  by  a  cam- 
paign of  enlightenment.  In  fact  the  entire  distribution  movement 
can  be  advanced  through  every  dignified  and  legitimate  means  of 
publicity.  The  Industrial  Kemoval  Office  has  already  adopted 
this  method  of  propaganda  in  the  form  of  press  articles  on  condi- 
tions in  the  West,  and  pamphlets  which  have  been  distributed  in 
the  Jewish  districts.  This  form  of  propaganda  admits  of  further 
development,  however.  The  Industrial  Removal  Office  contem- 
plates shortly  to  publish  and  to  scatter  a  series  of  leaflets,  de- 
scriptive of  the  industrial,  social,  religious  and  educational  life 
of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  cities  and  towns  of  the  country. 
It  is  not  intended  thereby  to  encourage  applicants,  and  therefore 
no  specific  mention  of  the  Industrial  Eemoval  Office  will  be  made 
in  these  leaflets.  They  are  to  serve  as  a  means  of  educating  the 
Jew  of  New  York  in  American  life  and  conditions,  and  to  create 
in  him  a  healthy  desire,  a  pioneer  spirit,  to  go  forth  and  make  his 
way  in  a  new  land.  For  new  land  it  is  indeed  to  him,  who,  in 
New  York,  is,  to  say  the  most,  but  geographically  and  not 
spiritually  removed  from  his  old  European  environment.  Once 
this  desire  is  created,  the  budding  pioneer  will  find  the  way  either 
with  or  without  the  assistance  of  the  Industrial  Removal  Office. 
If  without,  so  much  the  better.  To  supplement  the  work  of  press 
and  pamphlet  publicity,  the  illustrated  lecture  can  be  employed 
to  good  advantage.  A  beginning  has  already  been  made  in  that 
direction  with  an  appreciable  result.  A  remarkable  feature  of 
these  lectures  was  the  impression  made  on  the  audience  when  the 
map  of  the  United  States  was  thrown  on  the  screen,  and  when 
many  began  to  comprehend  for  the  first  time  the  immensity  of  our 
country  in  extent  of  territory. 

Transportation  facilities  have  contributed  largely  to  the  growth 
and  development  of  every  new  settlement.  But  to  aid  in  any 
movement  which  has  for  its  object  the  emigration  of  large  bodies 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  129 

of  people  from  the  crowded  sections  to  the  as  yet  sparcely  set- 
tled but  promising  territory,  it  is  not  sufficient  that  the  person 
desiring  to  go  westward  merely  have  the  choice  of  three  or  four 
or  even  five  transportation  lines.  From  New  York  to  California, 
Washington,  Oregon  or  even  Colorado  and  Iowa  the  cost  of  trans- 
portation is  the  greatest  obstacle  and  almost  prohibitive  to  that 
class  of  pioneers  who  have  the  brain  and  the  brawn  so  neces- 
sary to  the  development  of  the  newer  sections  of  our  country. 
The  railroad  companies  would  do  well  to  recognize  the  commer- 
cial value  of  a  steady  stream  of  immigration  to  the  undeveloped 
sections  through  which  their  roads  run.  They  might  well  foresee 
that  an  augmented  western  population  will  mean  a  larger  pro- 
ductivity for  that  region,  with  the  resultant  increase  in  the  freight 
and  passenger  business.  A  reduction  in  the  rate  of  transporta- 
tion would  not  only  facilitate  the  work  of  the  distributing  of 
immigrants,  but  it  would  also  enable  workingmen  of  moderate 
means,  who,  by  reason  of  their  longer  stay  in  this  country,  have 
acquired  the  language  and  have  absorbed  the  spirit  of  American 
institutions,  to  take  advantage  of  the  improved  opportunities 
which  the  West  affords  them.  A  movement  westward  on  the 
part  of  such  workingmen  in  large  numbers  would  be  of  inestima- 
ble benefit  to  those  sections  of  the  country  where  an  intelligent 
class  of  artisans  is  in  great  demand  to  aid  in  the  development 
of  industries  and  in  the  growth  of  trade  and  commerce.  I  ven- 
ture to  say  that  it  would  pay  the  railroads  as  a  business  propo- 
sition to  offer  a  largely  reduced  rate  of  transportation,  at  least 
to  points  in  the  far  West  and  Southwest,  to  which  the  present 
cost  of  transportation  is  a  most  serious  drawback  to  an  undoubt- 
edly considerable  number  of  sincere  and  earnest  men  and  women 
who  desire  to  throw  in  their  lot  with  those  newer  sections  of  our 
country,  whose  praise  they  have  heard  sung  for  so  long  and 
whose  opportunities  they  have  seen  described  in  glowing  terms 
in  both  press  and  magazines.  There  are  many  who  would 
undoubtedly  be  influenced  to  give  their  all  to  the  land  that  beckons 
to  them  with  hope  and  promise,  and  who,  because  of  the  pro- 
hibitive cost  of  transportation,  must  abandon  their  cheri=hed  dreams 
and  muet  remain  behind  and  accept  the  inevitable  conclusion  that 
the  far  West  for  them  is  but  a  visionary  and  impossible  project. 


130  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE  SIXTH 

I  do  not  for  a  moment  lose  sight  of  the  many  difficulties  which 
the  adoption  of  such  a  scheme  presents,  nor  am  I  unmindful  of 
the  fact  that  new  legislation  might  have  to  be  enacted  to  over- 
come certain  present  legal  obstacles  to  the  plan  suggested.  At 
all  events  the  suggestions  here  thrown  out  are,  in  my  humble 
opinion,  worthy  of  consideration  and  thought,  and  even  though 
they  may  be  rejected  as  impracticable  and  impossible  of  accom- 
plishment, yet  it  may  be  that  as  a  result  and  out  of  the  wisdom 
and  far-sightedness  of  those  who  preside  over  the  destinies  of 
our  transportation  enterprises,  the  seed  will  be  sown  which  will 
develop  a  more  extensive  and  practical  co-operation  on  the  part  of 
the  railroads  in  the  big  problem  of  distribution  of  population. 

The  basis  of  all  industrial  life  is  the  soil,  and,  if  distribution 
of  immigration  is  to  be  comprehensive,  too  much  importance  can- 
not be  attached  to  any  movement  which  seeks  to  attract  the 
Jewish  immigrant  to  the  farm.  While  it  is  true  that  the  pur- 
suit of  agriculture  has  been  denied  to  the  Jew  by  the  govern- 
ments of  those  countries  in  which  he  is  to  be  found  in  the  largest 
numbers,  yet  it  is  a  fact  that  there  are  many  immigrant  Jews  who 
come  from  Russian  and  Galician  farm  villages  who  are,  by  nature 
and  instinct,  adapted  to  farm  life  even  though  they  are  not  espe- 
cially adept  in  farm  work.  They  may  not  be  farmers,  and  the 
disappointments  which  Jewish  societies  for  the  encouragement  of 
agriculture  among  Jews  in  this  country  have  experienced  in  their 
highly  laudable  work,  may  be  many.  But  it  has  been  proven  be- 
yond a  doubt,  that  to  a  reasonable  extent,  and  with  careful  train- 
ing and  supervision  during  the  initial  period  of  their,  so  to  speak, 
apprenticeship  in  farm  work,  they  possess  the  material  from  which 
farmers  can  be  made.  Indeed,  many  government  homesteads  have 
been  settled  by  sturdy  Jewish  farmers,  and  these  farms  have  not 
only  afforded  a  profitable  living,  but  have  contributed  to  the 
wealth  and  prosperity  of  the  nation.  From  statistics,  which  are 
necessarily  incomplete,  we  learn  that  there  are  listed  on  the  books 
of  the  Jewish  Agricultural  and  Industrial  Aid  Society  alone  over 
3,000  farmers  in  this  country,  representing  15,000  souls,  occupying 
over  2,700  farms.  These  figures  probably  do  not  represent  more 
than  50  per  cent,  of  the  actual  total  number  of  Jewish  farmers 
in  this  country.  Here,  again,  it  is  well  to  remember  that  the  Jew 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  131 

is  not  unlike  his  fellowman.  He,  too,  feels  the  lure  of  the  city, 
and  in  this  age,  when  many  of  our  farms  are  being  abandoned 
by  families  who  for  generations  have  lived  on  the  soil  and  who 
are  being  drawn  irresistibly  to  the  large  cities,  it  is  not  at  all 
remarkable  that  it  is  difficult  to  attract  those  who  have  been 
accustomed  to  urban  life,  to  rural  occupations.  But,  perhaps,  just 
because  of  this,  namely,  the  fact  that  he  has  been  forced  to  city 
life  for  so  many  generations,  his  reluctance  to  take  up  farming 
as  a  means  of  livelihood  should  be  viewed  tolerantly.  But  I  would 
urge,  as  I  have  upon  previous  occasions,  that  every  effort  be  made 
to  instill  in  the  children  of  our  people  a  love  for  the  soil  when 
they  are  still  in  the  period  of  training,  and  when  agricultural  edu- 
cation will  do  much  to  influence  their  future  avocation.  Even 
here  the  natural  preferences  of  the  American  youth  must  be  reck- 
oned with,  and  in  the  light  of  this  it  would  be  idle  to  say  that 
Jewish  farming  can  ever  assume  a  dominant  place  in  the  large 
work  of  distribution.  Even  the  most  ardent  exponents  of  the 
idea  of  agriculture  do  not  claim  this  for  it,  but  if  by  reason  of 
increased  activities  the  number  of  farmers  be  increased  percep- 
tibly, a  valuable  contribution  will  be  made  to  the  solution  of  the 
problem  of  Jewish  distribution. 

Our  country  is  destined  in  the  course  of  years  to  absorb  mil- 
lions of  immigrants  from  European  lands.  The  drift  to  America 
will  persist  as  long  as  America  spells  opportunity,  and  there  is  a 
surplus  of  population  in  the  old  world.  Among  these  millions 
there  will  be  many  of  our  co-religionists,  even  though  persecution 
will  cease  to  be  a  special  reason  for  Jewish  immigration.  It 
would  be  a  short-sighted  policy  that  would  counsel  that  we  do 
not  look  beyond  the  immediate  problems  at  hand,  but  a  wise 
statesmanship  will  lead  us  to  look  beyond  the  present,  that  we 
prepare  for  the  future,  so  that  our  successors  of  the  generations 
to  come  will  be  able  to  meet  the  problem  of  Jewish  immigration 
with  intelligence,  with  discretion  and  with  zeal,  and,  above  all, 
with  the  heritage  of  our  experience. 


132 


PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 


Resume  of  Work  of  the  Industrial  Removal  Office, 
1901-1909. 

Showing  the  Distribution  of  45,711  Persons  in  1,278  Cities  and  Towns  in  the 

United  States  and  Canada,  also  giving  the  Total  Number  of  Persons  Sent 

to  Each  State,  and  the  Total  Number  of  Cities  Covered  in  Each  State. 


States. 


Cities.  1901     1902     1903     1904     1905     1906     1907     1908     1909   Totals. 


Alabama  

35 

52 

37 

47 

88 

115 

136 

88 

88 

19 

670 

Arizona  

7 

1 

1 

2 

3 

11 

7 

1 

26 

Arkansas  

Id 

'66 

14 

9 

8 

34 

28 

20 

6 

185 

California  

32 

36 

67 

260 

429 

233 

403 

369 

323 

294 

2.414 

Colorado  

37 

104 

218 

214 

189 

216 

380 

383 

283 

141 

2,128 

24 

23 

67 

139 

15 

26 

12 

1 

27 

10 

320 

Delaware  

5 

2 

5 

1 

2 

2 

2 

14 

Dist.of  Columbia. 

1 

"5 

1 

"2 

9 

11 

7 

1 

36 

Florida  

7 

17 

23 

'38 

'29 

24 

14 

22 

52 

24 

243 

Georgia  

22 

15 

32 

45 

65 

114 

103 

115 

133 

59 

681 

Idaho  

1 

1 

3 

1 

4 

9 

Illinois  

67 

131 

302 

412 

528 

640 

585 

588 

6i2 

489 

4,287 

Indiana  

35 

100 

166 

183 

188 

234 

259 

315 

184 

113 

1.742 

Iowa  

52 

18 

76 

113 

157 

96 

147 

200 

177 

68 

1.052 

Kansas  .  

37 

42 

66 

39 

36 

28 

36 

38 

42 

22 

349 

Kentucky  

17 

46 

32 

33 

84 

98 

137 

110 

89 

57 

686 

Louisiana  

17 

29 

107 

69 

53 

75 

45 

57 

66 

10 

511 

Maine  

14 

9 

5 

7 

8 

5 

19 

2 

55 

Maryland  

12 

"9 

"6 

13 

53 

53 

31 

32 

23 

6 

226 

Massachusetts.  .  . 

19 

5 

9 

122 

81 

42 

40 

18 

22 

18 

357 

Michigan  

50 

104 

75 

162 

187 

239 

290 

450 

180 

191 

1,878 

Minnesota  

28 

58 

79 

147 

211 

235 

248 

308 

227 

163 

1.676 

Mississippi  

37 

35 

41 

17 

28 

40 

95 

20 

13 

7 

296 

Missoun  

39 

73 

300 

765 

980 

608 

620 

671 

426 

370 

4,813 

Montana  

7 

1 

7 

11 

5 

4 

6 

21 

6 

61 

Nebraska  

18 

15 

105 

326 

184 

180 

263 

366 

209 

84 

1,732 

Nevada  

2 

1 

5 

6 

New  Hampshire  . 

6 

1 

1 

3 

"e 

"2 

13 

New  Jersey  

19 

isi 

85 

112 

121 

'$)i 

102 

123 

75 

'is 

878 

New  Mexico  

11 

4 

25 

1 

5 

11 

1 

2 

49 

New  York  

107 

20 

90 

240 

479 

454 

425 

475 

238 

247 

2,668 

North  Carolina  .  . 

12. 

2 

7 

1 

9 

9 

4 

18 

14 

64 

North  Dakota.  .  . 

30 

"5 

6 

33 

22 

18 

7» 

95 

84 

28 

370 

Ohio  

64 

152 

350 

726 

622 

765 

1,020 

1,065 

352 

419 

5,477 

Oklahoma  

32 

12 

44 

4 

35 

6 

20 

24 

15 

7 

161 

Oregon  

3 

11 

30 

19 

53 

51 

117 

110 

55 

100 

546 

Pennsylvania  .... 

101 

155 

265 

346 

225 

362 

362 

375 

194 

83 

2,367 

Rhode  Island  .... 

1 

1 

2 

21 

1 

6 

3 

34 

South  Carolina  .  . 

17 

"3 

7 

4 

21 

"s 

io 

56 

11 

129 

South  Dakota  .  .  . 

9 

7 

8 

"i 

6 

9 

2 

5 

19 

7 

64 

Tennessee  

16 

72 

26 

45 

92 

152 

192 

136 

91 

43 

849 

Texas  

45 

113 

121 

121 

110 

149 

89 

83 

121 

60 

967 

Utah  

5 

1 

1 

13 

10 

5 

8 

5 

12 

55 

Vermont  

11 

17 

8 

7 

11 

5 

11 

59 

Virginia  

13 

32 

10 

'ii 

16 

41 

35 

21 

36 

'so 

232 

Washington  

7 

10 

8 

9 

21 

27 

64 

127 

52 

123 

441 

Wnst  Virginia.  .  .  . 

19 

42 

32 

22 

8 

16 

3 

11 

16 

14 

164 

Wisconsin  

56 

35 

207 

482 

364 

314 

274 

371 

201 

112 

2.360 

Wyoming  

3 

4 

1 

4 

4 

2 

15 

Canada  

53 

'22 

35 

169 

186 

150 

iss 

308 

228 

13 

1,296 

Grand  Totals      1.278    1,830   3,208   5,525   6,023    6.005   6,922   7,5«6   5,108    3,504      45,711 


Total  number  distributed  by  the  Philadelphia  Branch  during  a  period  of  9  yean 

Total  number  distributed  by  the  Boston  Branch  during  a  period  of  6  years 


2,459 
2,068 


Total  number  distributed  by  the  I.  R.  O.  and  its  branches 50,238 


Showing  the  Occupations  of  24,123  Wage  Earners  Distributed  During  a 

Period  of  8  Years  (1902-9),  Representing  221  Occupations  and  Divided 

According  to  Groups,  Manufacturing  and  Non-Manufacturing. 


MANUFACTURING 

Lathers  

6 

WOODWORKING—  Per  Cent. 

9.97 

Locksmiths  

..       440 

Marble  Polishers  

2 

Cabinet-makers  

289 

Marble-workers  

1 

Carpenters  

1,822 

Masons  and  Plasterers  

73 

Carriage  Painters  

4 

Painters  and  Paperhangers  . 

..    1,033 

Carriage  Trimmers  

3 

Plumbers  

..       161 

Coach  Striper  

1 

Shinglers  

6 

Coopers  

97 

Stone  Cutters  

4 

Varnishers  and  Polishers  

22 

Tile-layers  

1 

Veneer-workers  

1 

Tilemakers  

1 

Wheelwrights  

13 

Wagon-makers  

9 

Total  

..    1,937 

Wood-carvers  

56 

Wood-turners  

87 

PRINTING  &  LITHOGRAPHY— 

Total  

2,404 

Per  Cent.  .93 

Bookbinders  

..       116 

METAL  WORKING— 

Compositors  

13 

Per  Cent.  9.17 

Electro  Platers  

1 

Engravers  

1 

Iron,  Brass  and  Copper  Work- 

Feeders   

7 

ers  

645 

Lithographers  

5 

Blacksmiths  

514 

Printers  

83 

Boiler-makers  

12 

Brass  Polishers  

5 

Total  

..       226 

Dynamo-  workers 

1 

Engineers  

10 

LEATHER—  Per  Cent. 

6.99 

Horse  Shoer  

1 

Assembler  

1 

Machinist  
Metal  Cutters  
Metal  Platers  

322 

1 
1 

Dress  Suit  Case-maker  
Harness-maker  

8 
..       147 

Metal  Polishers  

8 

Leather-workers  

10 

Metal  Spinners  

1 

Pocketbook-makers  

26 

Molders  

4 

Pocketbook-cutters  

7 

Potters  
Tinsmiths  and  Roofers  

2 
685 

Saddle-makers  
Shoe  Cutters  

1 
6 

Shoe  Finishers  

2 

Total  

2,212 

Shoe  Fitters  

5 

BUILDING—  Per  Cent.  8.03 

Shoemakers  and  Repairers  , 
Shoe  Operators  

...    1,105 
3 

Bricklayers  

135 

Tanners  

..       331 

Framers  

4 

Upper-makers  

29 

Gas  Fitters 

9 

Glaziers  

68 

Total.. 

,    1,687 

NEEDLE  INDUSTRIES,  CLOTH-      Waistmakers. . . . 
ING  and  MILLINERY  SUPPLIES,      Waist-trimmers. . 

ETC.— Per  Cent.  20.86  Weavers 

Bed-robe-makere 1      Wire  Framers. . . , 

Beltmakera 1      Wrapper-makers . 

Buttonhole-makers 22 

Button-makers 10 

Cap  Blocker 1 

Cap  Cutter 2 

Cap  Finisher 5 

Capmakers 56 

Corset-makers 2 

Collar-makers 1 

Cutters 56             Total. 

Dressmakers 91 

Embroiderers 11 

Feather-workers 1 

Finishers  (men's  clothing) 134 

Flower-makers 7 

Fur  Dyer 1 

Furriers 127 

Fur  Nailer 1 

Glovemakers 6 

Hat  Finisher 1 

Hatmakers 7 

Hat-band-maker 1 

Hemstitcher 1 

Knitters 11 

Lacemakers 1 

Mantle-makers 1 

Milliners 25 

Neck-tie-makers 1 

Operators  (men's  clothing)  . . .  1,456 

Overall-makers 2 

Passementerie-workers 6 

Pattern-makers 1 

Pleaters 12 

Pressers 564 

Shirt-cutters 1 

Shirt-folders 2 

Shirtmakers 96 

Shirt-pressers 3 

Suspender-makers 7 

Shirt  Examiner 1 

Tailors: 

Ladies  Tailors,  Bushelmen, 

Helpers,  Basters,  etc 2,129 

Tucker..,  1             Total. 


31 

1 

116 

14 
2 


Total 5,030 


TOBACCO— Per  Cent.  .77 

Cigar-makers 136 

Cigarette-makers 49 

Strippers 1 


186 


MISCELLANEOUS— Per  Cent.  1.95 


Album-makers 

Bed-spring-makers 

Bristle-workers 

Brushmakers 

Candle-makers 

Chair  Caners 

Combmakers 

Comb  Setters 

Cork-workers 

Diamond  Setters 

Frame  Gilders 

Goldsmiths 

Jewelers 

Jewelry-box-makers  . . . 

Mattress-makers 

Paper-box-makers 

Parquet-layers 

Picture-frame-makers. . 

Ropemakers 

Sign  Painter 

Silversmiths 

Smoking  Pipe  Polisher. 

Soapmakers 

Trunkmakers 

Umbrella-makers 

Umbrella-stick-makers . 


1 
1 

2 
31 
6 
1 
2 
1 
1 
1 
3 
6 
27 
2 
11 
24 
1 
4 
2 
1 
5 
1 
4 
64 
2 
1 

Upholsterers 152 

Watchmakers 109 

Wigmakers 2 

Watchcase-maker. . .  1 


469 


MEN  WITHOUT  TRADES— 

Journalists  

3 

Per  Cent.  31.65 

Mechanics  

1 

Unskilled  laborers  
Peddlers  

7,328 
..       309 

Mechanical  Dentists  
Mechanical  Engineers  

4 
1 

Midwives  

2 

Total  

7,637 

Musicians  
Nurses  

16 

7 

FARMING—  Per  Cent. 

1.74 

Opticians  
Physicians  

2 

Fanners  

..       419 

Photographers  
Pianists  

27 
1 

Reporters  

1 

SMALL  DEALERS  IN  FOOD 
STUFFS—  Per  Cent.  3.36 

Sculptors  
Schochetim  
Stenographers  

2 
50 
6 

Bakers  

..       308 

Telegrapher  

1 

Brewers  

2 

Telephone  Operator  

1 

Butchers  

..       455 

Confectioners  

8 

Total  

738 

Distillers  

10 

Egg  Candlers  

7 

Fishermen  

2 

NON-MANUFACTURING 

Fruit  Packers  
Ice  Cream  Wafer-makers.  .  . 

1 
1 

MISCELLANEOUS—  Per  Cent. 

1.52 

Millers  

12 

Barbers  

111 

Syrup-makers  

1 

Bartenders  

1 

Wurstmakers  

2 

Bottlers  

1 

Total  

..       809 

Canvassers  
Cleaners  and  Dyers  

1 
10 

Cooks  

5 

Domestics  

18 

OFFICE  HELP  PROFESSIONALS, 

Firemen  

?, 

ETC.—  Per  Cent.  3.06 

Florists  

2 

Architects  

1 

Junk  Sorters  

2 

Artists  

2 

Junk  Dealers  

2 

Bookkeepers  

25 

Laundrymen  and  women  

11 

Cantors  

4 

Miners  

2 

Chemists  

4 

Motorman  

1 

Chiropodists  

1 

Packers  

8 

Civil  Engineers  

2 

Porters  

23 

Clerks  

.  .       375 

Salesmen  and  women  

33 

Dentists  

5 

Stationers  

1 

Designers  

2 

Waiters  

38 

Draftsmen  

10 

Wagon  Drivers  

94 

Druggists  

26 

Window-cleaners  

1 

Electricians  

91 

Window-dressers  

2 

r**     *•! 

Hebrew  Teachers  

62 

Total  

369 

Being  a  Summary  of  Nine  Years'  Work  of  the  Removal 
Office  and  Its  Branches  in  Philadelphia  and  Boston. 


Year. 


Families 

removed 

with  head 


Families 

removed 

to  join 

head. 


Married  men 

whose  families 

remained  in 

New  York. 


Married  men 

with  families 

in  Europe. 


Unmarried  men 
(All  wage- 
earners.) 


1901 
1902 
1903 
1904 
1905 
1906 
1907 
1908 
1909 


89 
118 
345 
327 
374 
604 
635 
451 
321 


104 
237 
346 
400 
406 
423 
424 
428 
311 


179 
249 
318 
222 
144 
167 
243 
202 
96 


269 

545 

983 

2,081 

1,706 

1,264 

1,369 

511 

292 


628 
1,053 
1,328 
1,082 
1,354 
1,628 
2,178 
1,195 

689 


Total. 


3,264 


3,079 


1,820 


9,020 


11,135 


Families  removed  with  head 3,264 

Families  removed  to  join  head 3,079 

Total  number  of  families  removed 6,343 

Number  of  individuals  represented  by  above 23,736 

Married  men  with  families  remaining  in  New  York  or  in 

Europe 10,840 

Unmarried  men 11,135 

Total  number  of  individuals 45,711 

Of  these  there  were  adult  wage-earners 25,239 

Total  number  distributed  by  I.  R.  O.  during  a  period  of  9  years 45,711 

Total  number  distributed  by  the  Philadelphia  Branch 2,459 

Total  number  distributed  by  the  Boston  Branch 2,068 


Grand  Total 50,238 


Report  of  Jewish  Immigrants'  Information  Bureau  from 
June  10th,  1907,  to  March  10th,  1910. 


DISTRIBUTION  BY  STATES. 


TEXAS. 


Arizona  

3 

Beaumont  

7 

Texas  

342 

Brenham  

1 

Missouri  

....       247 

Corsicana  

1 

Iowa  

224 

Dallas  

67 

Minnesota  

172 

El  Paso  

5 

Colorado  

93 

Fort  Worth  

56 

Louisiana  

57 

Gainesville  

6 

Nebraska  

87 

Galveston  

26 

Kansas  

62 

Houston  

37 

Tennessee  

45 

Marshall  

5 

Arkansas  

48 

Palestine  , 

10 

Illinois  

27 

San  Antonio  

46 

Oklahoma  

42 

Texarkana  

16 

Mississippi  
California  

15 
30 

Tyler  , 
Taylor  

18 
1 

North  Dakota  

14 

Waco  , 

40 

Georgia  

12 

Total  

,       342 

Oregon  
Washington  

6 
6 

IOWA. 

Wisconsin  

6 

Burlington  

17 

Connecticut  

5 

Cedar  Rapids  , 

16 

Kentucky  

5 

Chariton  , 

1 

Utah  

3 

•  Clinton  , 

3 

Ohio  

1 

Council  Bluff  

17 

Davenport 

31 

Total  

....    1,552 

Des  Moines  

64 

Dubuque  

26 

Fort  Dodge  

6 

DISTRIBUTION  BY 

CITIES. 

Muscatine  

3 

Sioux  City  

11 

MISSOURI. 

Ottumwa  

29 

Carthage  

1 

Total  

224 

Hannibal  

7 

MINNESOTA. 

Joplin  

9 

Chisholm 

2 

Kansas  City  
Moberly  
St.  Joseph  
St.  Louis  
Webb  City  

....       143 
5 
54 
25 
1 

Duluth  
Eveleth  
Hibbing  
Minneapolis  
St.  Paul  

25 
3 
1 

100 
39 

Sedalia  

2 

Virginia  

1 

Total  

....       247 

Total  

171 

TENNESSEE. 


ARKANSAS. 


Ivlemphis                    

40 

Fort  Smith  

g 

Nashville                

5 

Little  Rock  

23 

Pine  Bluff... 

16 

Total 

45 

Total  

47 

COLORADO. 
Boulder  

5 

ILLINOIS. 

Colorado  Springs  

20 

Ouincy 

13 

35 

Pueblo  

31 

Trinidad  

2 

Totai 

27 

Total  

93 

LOUISIANA. 

MISSISSIPPI. 
Natchez  

6 

Vicksburg  

g 

Alexandria  

1 

Baton  Rouge  

3 

Total  

15 

2 

Lafayette  

3 

New  Orleans  

48 

OKLAHOMA. 

Ardmore  

5 

Total  

57 

Chickasha  

1 

El  Reno  

1 

NEBRASKA. 

Guthrie        .           

4 

3 

Lawton  

9, 

Hastings                       .           . 

4 

McAlester'.  

2 

Lincoln                    

45 

Oklahoma  City  

25 

Omaha 

36 

Shawnee  

1 

Tulsa                     .         .... 

1 

Total 

88 

Total  

42 

KANSAS. 
Atchison  

3 

NORTH  DAKOTA. 

Fort  Scott  

3 

Ashley 

11 

Galena  

1 

TTartrn 

3 

II  u  tchinson  

5 

lola  

1 

Total 

14 

Independence  

2 

Leaven  worth  

24 

Pittsburg  

3 

CALIFORNIA. 

Topeka  

12 

Los  Angeles  

22 

Wichita    .                        . 

7 

San  Francisco  

8 

Total.. 

61 

Total.. 

30 

GEORGIA. 


ARIZONA. 


Douglass  

1 

Atlanta  

12 

Total  

12 

Tntnl 

OREGON. 

WASHINGTON. 
Seattle  

6 

Portland  

6 

Total 

A 

Total  

6 

WISCONSIN. 

KENTUCKY. 
Louisville  

5 

Milwaukee         

4 

Total  

5 

Superior  

2 

TTTATT 

Total  

6 

Salt  T,akp  Hitv 

3 

rW\T  MTT  PTT  PITT 

Total  

3 

Bridgeport  

4 

OHIO. 

Hartford  

1 

Cleveland  

1 

Total.. 

5 

Total.. 

1 

Occupations  of  Immigrants  Handled  by  the  Jewish  Immigrants' 
Information  Bureau  of  Galveston,  Texas. 

86  OCCUPATIONS  REPRESENTED. 


Shoemakers 

Tailors 

Carpenters 

Blacksmiths 

Tinsmiths 

Butchers 

Locksmiths 

Cabinetmakers. . . 

Dressmakers 

Bakers 

Painters 

Tanners 

Weavers 

Farmers 

Watchmakers 

Bookbinders 

Capmakers 

Cigarette-makers . 
Leather- workers. . 

Soapmakers 

Millers 

Ironworkers 

Pressers 

Barbers 

Electricians 

Wood- turners 

Printers 

Confectioners. .. . 

Brushmakers 

Glaziers 

Harness-makers. . 

Coopers 

Furriers 

Machinists 

Stonecutteis 

Wheelwrights 

Upholsterers 

Brewers 

Chairmakers 

Bookkeepers 

Bricklayers 

Embroiderers 

Gardeners 

Hatters 

Milliners 

Roofers 

Stone-engravers.. 


122 

103 

68 

36 

35 

35 

35 

26 

25 

21 

21 

23 

19 

16 

15 

13 

10 

10 

10 

8 

8 

8 

8 

8 

6 

5 

5 

6 

6 

6 

6 

6 

5 

4 

5 

5 

4 

3 

3 

3 

3 

2 

3 

3 

2 

2 

2 


Sashmakers 2 

Shirtmakers 3 

Upper-makers 3 

Soda-water-makers 2 

Clerks 2 

Paperhangers 2 

Smelter 1 

Teacher 1 

Salesman 1 

Horse  Shoer 1 

Button-makers 1 

Buttonhole-makers 1 

Baby-carriage-makers 1 

Boxmakers 1 

Cooks 1 

Cutters 1 

Coppersmiths 1 

Decorators 1 

Dentists 1 

Druggists 1 

Engravers 1 

Iron-bedmakers 1 

Macaroni-makers 1 

Motormen 1 

Plumbers 1 

Ropemakers 1 

Sausage-makers 1 

Stenographers 1 

Sewing-machine-repairers  ....  1 

Trimmers 1 

Wagon-makers 1 

Glovemakers 

Capmakers 

Egg  Packers 

Boiler-makers 

Shingler 

Drivers 1 

Dyers 1 

Goldsmith..  1 


Persons  representing  86  occu- 
pations   825 

Without  Occupations 432 

Women  and  Children. .  296 


Grand  Total...   1,553 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE    OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  141 

DISCUSSION. 
By  JONAS  WEIL, 

MINNEAPOLIS,    MINN. 

I  am  called  a  little  out  of  the  regular  order,  but  still  I  trust 
that  I  shall  be  able  to  give  you  the  experience  of  the  Removal 
Office  from  the  receiving  standpoint. 

It  is  with  a  great  deal  of  fear  and  trepidation  that  I  shall  at- 
tempt to  discuss  a  paper  so  comprehensive,  a  report  by  a  man  who 
has  had  the  experience  in  this  work  that  Mr.  Bressler  has  had. 
He  has  told  us  that  for  the  past  nine  years  he  has  been  engaged 
in  that  work  and  he  has  studied  every  angle  of  the  question. 

There  are  two  sides  to  that  question.  We  know  that  work  of  ad- 
ministration is  necessary,  and  we  know  and  admit  the  necessity 
of  removal  work;  that  is  elemental.  We  see  in  removal  work  one 
of  the  great  arguments  against  the  anti-immigrationists. 

To  discuss  this  paper  and  point  out  criticisms  or  faults  in 
a  paper  by  a  man  who  has  made  a  life  study  of  this  work  is  indeed 
a  difficult  task,  so  I  will  not  attempt  to  supplement  that  part  of 
the  paper  which  deals  with  the  work  from  the  New  York  stand- 
point. However,  when  a  question  of  this  kind  reduces  itself,  when 
many  communities  are  interested,  communities  of  different  char- 
acter and  of  different  size;  communities  in  this  broad  land  of 
ours,  where  industrial,  climatic  and  other  conditions  differ  in 
every  respect,  where  men  are  sent  to  the  South,  where  it  is 
continual  summer,  and  to  the  North,  where  it  is  mostly  winter, 
conditions  are  different,  and  must  be  differently  handled,  and  even 
those  in  charge  of  the  work  in  New  York  cannot  put  out  and  can- 
not lay  down  rules  which  will  govern  every  community. 

For  instance,  in  this  paper,  Mr.  Bressler  refers  to  the  fact  that 
from  certain  communities  the  local  committees  had  informed  him 
that  there  was  no  need  for  men,  and  still,  at  the  same  time,  the 
superintendents  of  certain  factories  had  written  for  men.  That 
is  perfectly  natural.  The  local  committee  could  see  further  than 
the  superintendents  of  certain  factories,  for,  in  Minneapolis,  where 
we  have  six  months  winter,  when  snow  is  on  the  ground,  and  all 
outside  work  is  stopped,  we  are  getting  men  now  from  Galveston 
and  New  York.  We  have  discovered  that  the  superintendent  had 
been  placing  these  men  to  a  .great  number  very  easily,  and  the 
committee  undertook  to  investigate  and  found  that  he  had  placed 


142  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE  SIXTH 

twenty-one  men  in  a  sash  and  screen  factory.  There  at  that  plant 
the  superintendent  will  take  21  more.  But  what  is  the  result? 
When  the  flies  disappear  and  the  screens  are  taken  off  we  will 
have  all  these  men  on  our  hands  for  the  winter.  So  the  office  in 
New  York  must  remember  this:  The  superintendents  of  factories 
may  need  men,  but  they  don't  guarantee  always  to  keep  them. 

Now  as  to  the  work  the  way  it  is  conducted  in  our  city,  not  a 
city  the  size  of  St.  Louis,  nor  a  city  of  100,000  inhabitants.  We 
have  perhaps  300,000  inhabitants.  Our  population  is  composed 
largely  of  foreigners,  Scandinavians,  honest,  hard-working  people, 
but  who  still  have  a  prejudice  against  the  Jew,  not  born  of  any 
intimate  relations  with  him,  but  from  hearsay,  because  they  don't 
know  him  as  he  is.  They  still  harbor  that  prejudice  on  account 
of  the  tragedy  which  happened  some  two  thousand  years  ago. 
Now  we  cannot  get  these  men  in  a  great  many  of  our  factories. 
Our  flour  mills,  for  instance;  there  seems  to  be  an  unwritten  law 
that  a  Jew  cannot  be  placed  in  a  flour  mill.  Also,  for  instance, 
plumbers.  A  Jewish  plumber  is  not  taken  as  an  apprentice  even, 
and  the  Jewish  artisans  in  that  trade  are  those  who  have  already 
served  their  apprenticeship  in  other  places.  Labor  is  strongly 
organized  in  our  community,  and  when  a  skilled  artisan  comes 
it  is  one  of  our  first  duties  to  see  that  he  joins  the  union,  and  does 
not  antagonize  it.  When  a  man  comes  from  New  York  or  Galves- 
ton  the  only  difference  I  find  is  that  the  Galveston  product  comes 
there  to  work — he  comes  to  this  country  for  the  purpose  of  earning 
a  living  and  sending  for  his  family;  while  at  times  those  sent 
from  New  York  come  from  other  motives,  perhaps  some  want  to 
travel  and  see  the  country. 

We  have  established  what  we  call  an  immigrant  house,  where 
we  place  the  immigrant.  Theoretically  that  is  not  a  good  plan; 
according  to  Mr.  Bressler,  we  should  not  segregate  them.  But 
we  find  that  we  must  have  some  place  where  we  can  keep  these  men 
together,  at  least  until  we  get  them  to  work,  because  we  cannot 
separate  them,  although  in  a  small  city  that  covers  a  great  deal 
of  territory;  we  must  have  them  where  we  can  look  after  them 
and  take  care  of  them.  We  find  an  agent  must  meet  them,  so  they 
do  not  come  unlocked  for  and  unwelcomed.  They  are  taken  to 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  143 

the  immigrant  house,  a  family  supplies  them  room  and  board  for 
a  nominal  sum — four  dollars  a  week.  After  we  place  them  in  the 
immigration  house  we  take  them  to  the  bathhouse,  where  they 
are  given  a  bath  and  cleaned  up,  and  we  also  have  a  storeroom, 
where  clothes  are  kept,  and  the  first  thing  we  do  is  to  take  away 
their  foreign  apparel  and  give  them  American  clothes.  We  allow 
them  to  rest  a  day  and  become  accustomed  to  their  environment 
The  following  day  we  seek  to  give  them  employment.  We  tell 
the  employer  frankly  they  are  Jews  and  also  explain  to  them  under 
what  conditions  they  come  to  this  country,  and  we  appeal  to  the 
employer  to  treat  them  with  more  consideration  than  they  would 
give  to  others,  and  we  find  that  has  a  good  effect  upon  the  em- 
ployers. They  take  a  personal  interest  in  the  men  and  overlook  a 
great  many  of  their  shortcomings,  whereas  if  the  information  had 
not  been  given  beforehand  they  would  not  have  tolerated  them  at 
all.  We  keep  them  three  weeks  and  give  them  board  and  room. 
For  the  reason  that  many  of  these  men  are  desirous  of  sending  home 
their  earnings,  we  permit  them  to  send  their  earnings  home  for 
two  weeks  and  after  they  are  well  and  thoroughly  located  we  turn 
them  adrift. 

If  a  man  through  no  fault  of  his  own  loses  his  position  we  get 
him  another;  we  give  him  three  trials.  After  the  third  trial  we 
investigate,  and  if  we  find  it  is  his  fault  we  turn  him  adrift  and 
tell  him  to  shift  for  himself.  Of  course,  a  good  many  times  we 
have  a  man  whose  characteristic  is  really  best  expressed  in  this 
well-known  Hebrew  word,  "Schlemiel/'  and  we  have  trouble  with 
him.  How  easy  it  would  be  if  we  could  give  them  at  least  a  pack 
or  a  horse  and  wagon,  but  we  can't  and  won't.  The  B'nai  B'rith 
has  been  the  prime  mover  in  this  movement  in  our  community.  The 
B'nai  B'rith  has  instituted  in  the  past  two  years  two  night  schools, 
especially  for  these  men — those  especially  from  Galveston.  We  are 
especially  fortunate  in  having  the  University  of  Minnesota  in  Min- 
neapolis, and  the  students,  young  men  and  young  women,  give 
their  services  to  the  B'nai  B'rith  and  conduct  night  schools  for  im- 
migrants, and  in  these  night  schools  we  prepare  them  for  citizen- 
ship, we  teach  them  the  language,  to  read  and  write,  and  when  we 
see  a  man  has  special  ability  and  that  he  will  take  hold  we  even  take 


144  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

him  away  from  the  position  that  he  has  and  give  him  a  better 
one  and  give  his  position  to  some  newcomer.  In  that  way  we 
endeavor  to  perfect  the  work.  We  endeavor  to  conduct  the  work 
in  such  a  manner  that  it  will  create  the  least  trouble  in  the 
community. 

Of  course,  we  have  our  disappointments.  These  must  be  ex- 
pected, of  course.  Many  times  we  criticise  the  New  York  office, 
but  I  will  say,  during  the  last  year,  since  the  work  has  been 
properly  systematized  by  us,  the  offices  in  New  York  and  in  Gal- 
veston  have  acceded  to  our  requests  and  sought  to  remedy  the 
defects  called  to  their  attention,  and  so  work  in  harmony  to 
eliminate  the  little  troubles  between  the  offices. 

Now,  the  New  York  office  makes  mistakes,  and,  as  Mr.  Bressler 
told  you,  will  continue  to  make  mistakes.  So  if  we  do  make 
mistakes  we  will  accomplish  something,  and  we  find  throughout 
the  country  that  the  majority  of  the  criticism  of  removal  work 
comes  because  of  selfish  reasons. 

Having  that  in  mind,  we  are  trying  our  best  in  our  community 
to  assist  New  York.  I  believe  in  this  way  we  can  better  combat 
the  adverse  legislation  against  immigration  than  in  any  other 
manner. 

DISCUSSION— (Continued). 
By  RABBI  EPHRAIM  FRISCH, 

PINE  BLUFF,  ARK. 

If  a  rabbi  of  Midrashic  times  had  had  the  opportunity  to  dis- 
cuss Mr.  Bressler's  paper  and  had  been  asked  for  his  opinion  of 
the  great  movements  he  and  his  assistants  in  New  York  and  his 
co-workers  in  Galveston  are  directing,  as  the  fruits  of  the  munifi- 
cence of  that  late  prince  of  philanthropists,  Baron  de  Hirsch,  who, 
when  death  took  away  his  only  child,  exclaimed:  "My  son  I  have 
lost,  but  humanity  is  my  heir,"  and  the  munificence,  too,  of  that 
equally  great  living  prince  and  seer,  Jacob  H.  Schiff — if,  to  repeat, 
the  rabbi  of  those  blissful  homiletical  days  had  been  asked  for  his 
opinion,  he  would  have  answered  in  his  own  Maggid  fashion :  "Of 
their  work  Scripture  spoke  when  it  said:  'I  will  lead  them  by  a 
way  they  know  not;  I  will  make  darkness  light  and  crooked  paths 
straight  for  them.' ''  With  rare  ability  have  the  directors  of  this 


NATIONAL    COXFEREXCE    OF    JEWISH    CHARITIES.  145 

movement,  already  respectable  in  its  achievements  and  still  more 
significant  in  its  potentialities,  sent  streams  of  strangers  at  the 
gate  and  homeless  within  the  gate  from  places  where  they  were 
not  needd,  or  where  needed  not  wanted,  to  cities  and  towns  where 
the  native  population  welcomed  them  cordially,  and  where  the  new- 
comers if  they  could  not  in  accordance  with  the  pretty  ancient  vision 
each  "dwell  under  his  own  vine  and  fig  tree,"  they  could  at  least 
dwell  in  comfortable  homes,  reasonably  free  from  material  anxiety, 
with  none  to  disturb  them  and  they  disturbing  none.  When  it  is 
remembered  that  these  same  people  might  have  had  to  live  four 
in  a  room  on  Broome  Street,  and  that,  too,  in  a  dark  and  dingy 
room  over  a  hot  bakery,  or  on  the  fifth  floor  of  a  "yardhouse"  on 
Essex  Street,  and  work  in  an  unsanitary  shop  at  starvation  wages, 
their  children  subject  to  the  demoralizing  influences  of  the  streets, 
getting  a  chance  to  enjoy  the  sight  and  scent  of  flowers  and  grass 
and  trees  only  a  few  days  a  }'ear,  when  some  kindly  "Fresh-air" 
Society  took  them  under  its  merciful  wings — when  one  compares 
the  life  which  they  might  have  led  with  the  free  and  healthy  life 
they  are  now  actually  enjoying  in  their  three  or  four  room  cottages, 
with  their  expanse  of  lawn  and  the  rosebushes  and  the  fruit  trees 
that  people  them,  one  may  indeed  express  his  admiration  at  the 
wisdom  that  conceived  the  plan  of  distribution,  at  the  generosity 
that  furnished  the  sinews  of  war  for  the  campaign  and  the  patience 
and  perseverance  of  the  leaders,  yes,  even  the  humble  workers  in 
the  ranks,  who  rose  superior  to  criticism,  disappointments  and 
mishaps. 

Situated  at  the  heart  of  the  movement,  with  the  Industrial 
Removal  Office,  as  the  right  lobe  and  the  Galveston  Bureau  as  the 
left  lobe,  of  the  heart,  those  that  superintend  the  diffusion  of  the 
stream  of  Jewish  removals  are,  nevertheless,  as  is  seen  from  Mr. 
Bressler's  splendid  paper,  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  con- 
ditions that  prevail  and  the  needs  that  exist  at  the  periphery 
points.  They  have  neither  pumped  too  fast  nor  too  slow;  neither 
caused  congestion  at  the  receiving  places  nor  suffered  anemia  to 
set  in  there.  Under  present  conditions  the  quantity  has  been  just 
about  adequate.  The  quality,  too,  has  been,  generally  speaking, 
of  a  pure  and  healthy  grade.  The  writer  of  the  paper  is  un- 


146  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

questionably  right  when  he  states  that  a  higher  and  more  skilled 
class  of  Jewish  immigrants  are  now  coming  to  our  country  than 
was  the  case  some  time  back.  Six  years  ago,  when  I  first  became 
interested  in  receiving  and  placing  immigrants,  the  workingmen 
that  came  to  us  were  considerably  less  skilled  and  less  manage- 
able, too. 

In  order  to  indicate  how  the  removal  work  operates  at  a  small 
receiving  point  of  the  size  and  the  resources  that  Mr.  Bressler 
considers  most  desirable  as  channels  for  the  Bureau's  proteges,  I 
shall  recount  our  experiences  with  this  work  in  my  own  town. 
Pine  Bluff  is  a  city  of  nearly  30,000  population,  with  a  Jewish 
community  of  about  700  souls.  Except  the  Cotton  Belt  Railroad 
shops,  from  which,  however,  for  several  reasons,  we  have  derived 
very  little  benefit  for  the  Jewish  immigrant,  and  except  possibly 
also  for  a  larger  lumber  industry  than  usual,  we  have  the  same 
opportunities  and  the  same  limitations,  too,  as  regards  employ- 
ment as  in  other  cities  of  this  size.  From  the  Jewish  point  of 
view,  the  conditions  are  very  adequate  to  receive  immigrants  from 
Eastern  Europe.  Besides  the  Reform  Congregation,  we  have  a 
Chevrah  which  meets  for  service  at  the  holidays  and  occasionally 
for  Sabbath  worship.  We  have  a  Shochet  and  Melammed,  in  short, 
all  the  prerequisites  for  bringing  up  a  generation  of  "Frumme 
Yidden." 

When  the  Galveston  Bureau  was  established,  our  town  was  taken 
in  its  territory,  and  Mr.  Waldman,  who  visited  us  then,  was  given 
a  cordial  hearing  and  promised  co-operation  by  several  of  our 
business  men.  We  received  our  first  arrivals  from  Galveston  in 
September,  1907,  but,  though  we  have  been  receiving  them  theo- 
retically now  two  and  a  half  years,  in  reality  the  time  is  but  one 
and  a  half  years,  as  the  Bureau  did  not  send  us  any  people  during 
the  year  of  the  panic.  Altogether,  since  then,  21  people  were  sent 
us — 15  men,  4  women  and  2  children;  3  children  have  been  born 
in  Pine  Bluff,  and  1  man  was  brough't  over  by  his  married  sister 
on  her  own  account,  and  he  secured  a  job  himself,  without  our  aid. 
Total  "arrivals"  due  to  the  Bureau  25.  Of  these,  16  have  remained 
in  Pine  Bluff,  3  went  to  Little  Rock,  2  to  Vicksburg,  1  to  Kansas 
City,  2  to  unknown  regions,  and  1,  a  half-witted  dreamer,  to  his 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  147 

home  in  Russia.  There  were  16  wage-earners;  of  these  all  but  one 
had  occupations — 6  being  tailors,  2  shoemakers,  2  blacksmiths,  1 
ironmoulder,  1  ringmaker,  1  tinner,  1  carpenter  and  1  barber. 
As  for  wages,  the  lowest  commenced  at  $3.50  a  week,  the  highest 
at  $20.50.  They  invariably  got  raised  in  their  wages  in  a  very 
short  while.  They  average  between  $13  and  $15  a  week  now. 
All  but  the  ironmoulder,  ringmaker  and  barber  are  working  at 
their  own  occupations.  They  like  the  city,  and  want  to  remain 
there.  Those  that  moved  away  did  so  either  because  they  could 
obtain  no  work  at  their  own  occupation  there,  or  because  of  tem- 
porary unemployment  or  in  order  to  join  relatives  else- 
where. We  have  had  some  very  gratifying  experiences.  We 
have  also  had  some  trouble,  chiefly  in  connection  with  securing 
work  at  the  beginning.  One  exploitation  of  an  immigrant  by  his 
Jewish  employer  (which  we  prosecuted  successfully)  and  2  wife- 
desertions  may  also  be  numbered  among  our  ^roubles.  The  native 
Jewish  people  are  very  friendly  to  them,  and  in  many  cases  helpful 
in  giving  employment  and  aid;  nearly  all  of  them  contribute  to 
the  Relief  Association,  most  of  the  funds  of  which  are  now  used 
for  the  immigrants;  a  few  are  ready  to  give  extra  sums  whenever 
needed.  The  orthodox  Jews,  except  the  tailors  and  shoemakers, 
with  whom  the  newcomers  compete,  are  delighted  to  receive  them, 
and  occasionally  help  them  with  jobs.  Several  of  them  have  be- 
come members  of  the  Temple  recently,  because  pleased  with  our 
work. 

The  immigrants  become  Americanized  very  rapidly.  They  learn, 
to  speak  English  quickly,  even  the  older  ones.  We  ran  a  night 
school,  with  four  classes,  at  the  Temple,  from  October  to  March. 
One  little  girl  was  on  the  honor  roil  of  the  public  schools  in  her 
first  month  after  landing.  The  children  come  to  our  Sunday- 
school  and  all  the  adults  come  to  our  Chanukah  and  Purim  enter- 
tainments, and  some  to  our  congregational  Seder,  and  even  to  the 
regular  services. 

The  non-Jewish  population  is  very  friendly,  and  even  helpful. 
More  than  once,  when  I  missed  the  immigrants  at  the  station  upon 
their  arrival,  a  policeman  guided  them  to  my  house.  The  con- 
ductor on  the  train  that  brought  in  a  young  barber  boy  asked  me 


148  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

the  next  day  how  my  young  deaf  and  dumb  boy  was  getting  along. 
He  thought  he  was  deaf  and  dumb  because  he  didn't  answer  him 
when  he  addressed  him,  so  he  wrote  on  his  consignment  card :  "Sit 
here  until  I  come  for  you,"  without  getting  any  further  response. 
The  Gentile  merchants  voluntarily  give  me  discounts  on  tools  pur- 
chased for  the  immigrants.  Many  were  the  inquiries  the  other 
day  when  the  newspapers  published  the  fact  that  Leib  Kaufman 
and  his  wife,  our  latest  arrivals,  traveled  for  28 1/2  hours  without 
food  on  their  initial  ride  in  America,  because  of  failure  on  the 
part  of  the  Dallas  representative  of  the  Bureau  to  bring  them  food 
at  that  point.  Ten  days  ago  I  accepted  an  invitation  to  deliver  an 
address  on  the  "Jewish  Industrial  and  Agricultural  Immigrant" 
before  the  Jefferson  County  Land  Congress.  The  Federal  agricul- 
tural experts  and  the  representatives  of  the  Iron  Mountain  and 
Cotton  Belt  Eailroads  present  expressed  their  interest  in  the  move- 
ment, and  Mr.  John  Grade,  one  of  the  largest,  if  not  the  largest 
individual  planter  in  the  Southwest,  invited  me  to  visit  his  planta- 
tions, with  a  view  to  settling  Jewish  immigrants  there,  on  the 
renting  or  crop-sharing  arrangement.  The  South,  and  especially 
the  Southwest,  is  doing  its  utmost  to  attract  immigrants,  and, 
while  it  is  true  that  it  is  chiefly  eager  to  get  the  Iowa,  or  Illinois, 
or  Canada  farmer,  it  also  bids  welcome  to  the  Jew  from  foreign 
lands.  Herein,  as  Mr.  Bressler  ably  pointed  out,  lies  the  timeliness 
of  the  Galveston  movement. 

The  vade  mecum  set  up  by  the  author  for  the  receiving  city,  i.  e., 
that  the  essential  considerations  are  (1)  making  the  immigrant 
self-reliant  instead  of  a  charity  problem,  (2)  putting  him  to  work 
at  his  own  occupation  and  (3)  providing  him  with  congenial 
association  and  a  respectable  social  status,  is  a  correct  one.  But 
it  serves  better  as  an  ideal  than  as  an  actual  working  program. 
Taking  up  the  last  point  first,  that  is,  giving  the  immigrant  a 
congenial  social  life,  no  difficulty  need  be  exeprienced  on  this 
score,  if  the  Bureau  will  carefully  choose  only  such  receiving  cities 
as  have  a  fair  nucleus  of  Eastern  Jews  already.  As  for  making 
the  immigrant  self-reliant,  it  is  easy  to  do  this  when  you  succeed 
in  obtaining  employment  for  him  at  once  and  at  a  living  wage. 
But  when  no  job  is  available,  or  the  wages  are,  at  the  beginning 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHAKITIES.  149 

at  least,  too  small,  the  local  society  must  either  pay  for  the  board 
and  lodging  entirely  or  supplement  the  wages.  For  my  part  1 
believe  in  being  generous  with  the  money  allowances.  I  have  en- 
couraged husbands  and  sons  to  send  some  money  to  their  wives 
or  mothers  in  Europe  long  before  they  made  enough  to  support 
themselves,  and  we  cheerfully  made  up  the  difference.  A  money 
order  sent  to  his  wife  during  the  first  month  may  prevent  a  deser- 
tion in  the  sixth  month,  and  five  roubles  sent  to  a  mother  for 
Pesach  may  forestall  a  sundering  of  domestic  relations  and  even 
a  lapse  to  irreligion.  While  it  would  be  more  desirable  for 
the  immigrants  not  to  receive  any  financial  aid  as  outright  gifts 
at  all,  it  is  better  to  make  them  a  little  dependent  than  a  good 
deal  demoralized  or  deeply  discontented.  As  to  the  third  essential, 
i.  e.,  finding  them  work  at  their  old  occupations,  that,  of  course, 
will  be  done  as  far  as  possible  by  any  sensible  local  representative. 
But  the  Bureau  should  attempt  to  make  this  more  feasible  than 
it  has  done  thus  far.  Much  avoidable  worry  and  loss  of  prestige 
with  employers,  and  expense,  too,  have  been  caused  by  inaccuracies 
in  the  reports  sent  by  the  Bureau  as  to  what  the  specific  occupa- 
tions were.  For  instance,  one  man  who  was  described  in  the  con- 
signment as  a  carpenter  proved  to  be  nothing  of  the  kind;  but  1 
didn't  know  that  until  after  I  had  spent  a  considerable  sum  of 
money  in  purchasing  tools  for  him  and  lost  my  reputation  with 
two  contractors.  Another  man  was  described  as  "Jeweler,"  but 
he  could  do  only  a  specialized  form  of  that  work.  He  was  really 
a  ringmaker;  another,  as  locksmith,  who  was  really  an  iron- 
moulder  ;  another,  as  shoemaker,  who  in  reality  was  a  factory  shoe- 
hand,  belonging  in  a  larger  city  where  shoe  factories  are  found. 

The  remedy  I  would  suggest  for  this  by  no  means  slight  defect 
in  the  machinery  of  proper  distribution  is  the  establishment  of  a 
test-shop  in  Galveston,  or  at  least  an  arrangement  for  the  privilege 
of  testing  the  immigrants'  occupations  in  already  existing  private 
shops,  so  as  to  establish  definitely  just  what  each  immigrant  is 
capable  of  doing,  without  depending  entirely  on  his  word,  as  is 
more  or  less  the  case  now.  It  is  perfectly  natural  for  a  man  in 
sore  need  of  work  to  say  he  is  skilled  in  an  occupation  that  will 
command  respect  when  he  really  knows  little  or  nothing  about  it. 


150  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

It  should  be  the  business  of  the  Bureau  to  verify  or  disprove  his 
claim.  The  receiving  committee  would  rather  take  unskilled 
laborers  as  such  than  waste  a  lot  of  time  and  money  and  lose  local 
standing  in  securing  positions  for  the  immigrants  for  which  they 
are  not  fitted.  My  plan  is  not  as  impracticable  nor  as  expensive 
as  it  seems  at  first  blush.  About  one-third  of  the  arrivals  at 
Galveston  being  unskilled  workingmen,  they  would  need  no  testing 
at  all.  Tailors  and  shoemakers  and  carpenters,  who  form  the  next 
largest  percentages,  could  easily  be  tried  out  in  some  private  shop 
by  agreement,  or  in  an  improvised  shop  established  by  the  Bureau. 
These  four  classes,  together  with  the  women  and  children  who, 
of  course,  need  not  be  tested,  constitute  1,021  of  the  1,553  persons 
distributed  by  the  Galveston  Bureau,  or  over  60$  •  The  occupa- 
tions of  the  rest,  with  few  exceptions,  could  be  tested  with  equal 
ease. 

One  additional  suggestion.  According  to  even  the  most  sanguine 
promoters  of  the  two  Bureaus,  the  scope  of  distribution  will  always 
remain  more  or  less  restricted  under  the  present  limited  resources 
for  employment.  At  best,  the  number  of  newcomers  distributed 
may  be  tripled  or  quadrupled;  the  possibility  of  providing  work 
for  and  assimilating  the  immigrants  through  the  present  channels 
will  hardly  admit  of  a  distribution  exceeding  20,000  a  year. 
Granting  that  these  will  form  a  nucleus  for  larger  voluntary  immi- 
gration, what  does  this  slight  deflection  amount  to  in  changing 
the  channel  of  the  vast  stream  of  Jewish  immigration  ?  It  is  like 
attempting  to  put  out  a  big  fire  with  the  old-fashioned  barrel  and 
squirter.  That  is  better  than  nothing,  it  is  true,  but  best  of  all 
is  a  quick,  up-to-date  and  adequate  fire-extinguishing  system.  It 
seems  to  me  the  time  has  arrived  for  the  Jews  of  America  to  do 
something  more  than  to  pass  indignant  resolutions  on  Russian 
atrocities  and  utter  pious  wishes  in  favor  of  the  "Back-to-the 
Soil"  movement.  It  is  time  to  do  something  really  serious  and 
on  a  large  scale  to  turn  the  Jewish  immigrant  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  Now  I  am  saying  this  in  full  knowledge  of  the  many 
past  failures  in  that  direction  and  perfectly  aware  that  my  opinion 
is  both  that  of  a  theorist  and  a  young  man.  It  seems  to  me, 
however,  that  the  failures  thus  far  have  been  due  to  the  specific 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  151 

forms  that  the  experiments  have  taken,  and  not  to  any  inherent 
weakness  in  the  plan.  No  wonder  Jewish  agricultural  colonies 
have  almost  invariably  failed  thus  far.  Either  poor  land  or  sickly 
regions  were  chosen;  or  crop  failures  were  not  figured  on  and  no 
arrangement  was  established  for  immediate  returns,  which  the 
tiller,  like  all  other  human  beings,  desires;  there  was  either  too 
much  supervision  and  paternalism  or  none  at  all.  It  is  still  in 
place  to  try  other  methods.  Suppose,  for  instance,  a  series  of 
training  farms  for  single  and  family  men  be  established  in  various 
regions  of  the  country,  chiefly  in  the  sparsely  settled  but  rich  lands 
of  the  South,  where  fodder  is  available  ten  months  in  the  year,  and 
where  more  than  a  dozen  kinds  are  found ;  where  stock  and  poultry 
can  be  raised  at  the  minimum  cost;  where  the  rice  and  other  new 
industries  are  now  bringing  enormous  profits;  where  everything 
can  be  grown  from  vegetables  to  cotton  and  corn,  with  but  com- 
paratively little  labor,  nature  being  so  prolific  and  mild  there. 
Supposing  all  the  immigrants  without  specific  occupations  and 
as  many  more  as  cannot  be  placed  to  advantage  in  industrial  posi- 
tions be  put  to  work  there  and  be  paid  $1  a  da}',  besides  board  and 
lodging,  and  that  they  be  put  under  the  direction  of  such  an  un- 
known but  able  scientific  farmer  like  Mr.  Cobb,  the  superintendent 
of  the  Chickasha,  Miss.,  County  Agricultural  High  School,  who 
probably  gets  a  much  smaller  salary  than  the  graduates  of  the 
Doylestown  Farm  School  want;  supposing  the  immigrants  were 
limited  in  their  stay  at  the  training  farms  to  one  season,  so  as 
to  make  room  for  the  new  immigrants  that  would  ever  keep  on 
arriving;  supposing  that  when  they  leave  the  training  farm,  the 
superintendent  assist  them  in  purchasing  a  tract  of  land  nearby 
from  their  savings? 

What  would  be  the  results?  (1)  The  Bureaus  could  send  an 
almost  unlimited  number  of  people  direct  to  the  training  farms 
without  being  dependent  as  at  present  on  the  limited  resources 
of  the  receiving  cfties.  Each  training  farm  would  be  capable  of 
expansion  or  contraction  as  the  need  may  be;  (2)  there  would  be 
created  a  powerful  and  yet  natural  tendency  for  the  immigrants 
to  turn  to  agriculture  as  a  permanent  pursuit,  a  condition  good 
for  the  immigrant,  desired  by  us  city  Jews  and  highly  pleasing 


152  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

to  the  American  people;  (3)  it  would  save  the  immigrant  from 
exploitation,  from  falling  into  lawless  habits  and  from  being  jerked 
out  of  his  faith  suddenly  and  violently;  (4)  it  would  be  a  flexible 
system — those  who  feel  independent  enough  to  leave  the  training 
farm  before  the  year  is  over  and  start  on  their  on  account  in  other 
lines  of  work  might  do  so  with  the  full  approval,  yes,  with  the 
encouragement  of  the  Bureaus;  (5)  the  expense  would  be  great 
only  at  the  beginning;  at  the  end  of  the  season  the  training  farm 
will  probably  have  been  found  to  be  an  institution  that  paid  its 
own  way.  It  cost  our  town  on  an  average  of  $15  to  start  an  immi- 
grant. We  would  be  willing  to  pay  that  much  to  the  training  farm 
and  more.  This  winter  three  tracts  of  good  land  were  offered  to 
me  free  of  rent  for  several  years.  The  Board  of  Trade  of  nearly 
every  smaller  city  offers  large  tracts  of  land  free  for  such  purposes. 
Besides,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  a  good  deal  of  money  spent 
by  the  Bureaus  for  transportation  needlessly,  because  not  free  to 
choose  the  objective  point  or  because  of  ill-chosen  consignments, 
could  be  economized.  And  there  are  always  a  good  many  privates 
who  are  willing  to  contribute  materially  for  such  a  humanitarian 
purpose.  I  leave  this  suggestion  to  your  kindly  consideration. 

MR.  CYRUS  L.  SULZBERGER,  New  York:  About  three  years  ago, 
during  the  time  that  I  was  president  of  the  Jewish  Agricultural 
and  Industrial  Aid  Society,  we  instituted  a  training  farm.  We 
had  all  the  ideas  which  Eabbi  Frisch  has  explained  to  you  with 
such  eloquence. 

That  farm  is  now  upon  the  market.  Well,  now  I  don't  intend 
to  say  how  much  money  we  used.  We  conducted  the  experiments 
in  those  three  years,  and  we  failed  to  produce  satisfactory  results, 
and  it  is  now  in  the  hands  of  a  real  estate  broker  for  sale.  I  don't 
need  to  go  into  the  details  of  the  failure  in  that  experiment,  but 
we  believed  in  the  first  instance  that  it  should  have  worked  out 
as  Eabbi  Frisch  thinks  it  ought  to  work  out.  I  think  it  ought, 
and  so  it  should  have. 

I  wish  to  say  to  you  that  Mr.  Senior  is  in  error:  It  is  not  a 
question  of  a  man  staying  on  the  farm.  None  of  them  left  the 
farm.  I  don't  care  to  go  into  the  reasons  for  our  failure  on  that 
farm,  but  unwillingness  to  remain  had  no  relation  to  it  what- 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE    OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  153 

ever.  It  might  have  been  in  the  heart  of  California,  or  in  the 
heart  of  New  York,  but  this  consideration  did  not  enter  into  it  in 
this  instance  in  the  slightest  degree. 

Now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  have  so  often  at  these  conferences 
talked  about  this  removal  work  that  I  find  it  difficult  to  find  any- 
thing more  to  say;  and  yet  a  slip  of  the  tongue  made  by  Mr. 
Bressler  in  the  opening  of  his  paper  gives  me  a  text.  He  wanted 
to  speak  of  the  "systematic  distribution,"  and  he  said — and  cor- 
rected the  mistake — "sympathetic  distribution."  He  should  have 
let  it  stand,  for  the  key  to  the  whole  situation  was  in  that  slip  of 
the  tongue  when  he  said  "sympathetic  distribution/'  because  that 
is  the  kernel  of  the  whole  matter.  In  no  sense  or  manner,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  should  removal  work  make  a  part  of  charity,  be- 
cause in  no  sense  is  it  true  charity. 

Was  it  not  said  in  your  presence  last  night  that  Jewish  charity 
differs  from  ordinary  charity?  This  is  not  true  charity.  This  is 
a  vast  religious  and  social  movement,  of  great  importance  to  all 
people  in  the  United  States,  Jewish  and  un-Jewish,  along  political 
and  social  lines. 

The  United  States  Government  a  few  years  ago  established  a 
Bureau  of  Distribution,  and  has  failed  with  that  bureau — failed 
so  lamentably  that  propositions  are  now  before  Congress  for  its 
abolition.  I  shall  not  take  any  of  your  time  in  giving  you 
statistics  of  the  little  work  done  by  that  bureau  during  the  two 
years  of  its  existence,  but  it  has  done  less,  with  all  the  vast  re- 
sources of  the  United  States  Government  behind  it,  than  the  Re- 
moval Bureau  in  the  same  period,  with  only  this  organization 
behind  it,  and  yet  the  work  the  Government  is  now  contemplating 
abandoning  is  the  most  important  work  it  could  possibly  continue, 
and  because  this  work  is  so  important — is  so  important  for  the 
United  States  Government — therefore  it  becomes  more  incumbent 
upon  us — having  successfully  set  the  movement  in  motion,  having 
successfully  carried  it  on  for  nine  years — to  carry  it  on  with  re- 
newed and  increased  effort  so  that  we  may  teach  the  United  States 
how  distribution  may  be  continued  in  order  that  the  vast  number 
of  immigrants  arriving  with  every  steamship  load  of  arrivals  may 
not  be  diverted  from  us ;  in  order  that  we  may  not  lose  the  benefits 


154  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

that  come  to  us  by  that  immigration.  Our  social  movement  must 
proceed  intelligently  along  with  every  measure,  and  if  we  do  not 
do  this,  this  wild,  unfounded  cry,  created  by  immigration  restric- 
tionists,  and  making  headway  through  the  ill-informed  public, 
will  eventually  succeed  in  closing  the  doors  at  the  ports  of  entry, 
resulting  not  alone  in  the  horrors  which  that  would  mean  to  intend- 
ing Jewish  immigrants,  but  resulting  further  in  the  loss  of  the 
benefits  which  the  Jewish  immigrants  would  bring  to  the  country 
at  large. 

Therefore,  the  work  which  we  are  now  doing  is  not  in  any  sense 
a  charitable  work.  The  work  we  are  now  engaged  in  is  a  vast 
social  and  economic  movement,  and  it  is  our  privilege  as  Jews  to 
show  the  people  of  the  United  States  and  the  United  States 
Government  how  to  continue  with  the  work  we  have  successfully 
launched. 

Those  of  you  who  have  had  some  experience  by  working  in  co- 
operation with  the  Industrial  llemoval  Office  say:  "Oh,  yes,  but 
they  are  such  difficult  people  that  you  ask  us  to  deal  with."  Mr. 
Weil  told  us  about  the  prejudices  that  he  encountered,  about  the 
labor  unions  that  make  trouble  and  the  trouble  with  suitable 
industries,  and  Rabbi  Frisch  told  us  that  he  is  still  suffering  from 
the  barber,  yet  I  am  not  going  to  lie  awake  tonight  about  Rabbi 
Frisch's  sufferings,  because  he  has  a  panacea  for  all  of  those  trials 
— he  takes  them  laughingly.  Xow,  you  cannot  imagine  how  many 
of  the  troubles  and  ills  of  life  you  can  laugh  away  if  you  will 
only  make  up  your  mind. 

If  Rabbi  Frisch  had  been  like  some  people  I  know,  he  would 
have  sat  down  and  written  Mr.  Bressler  a  long  letter  about  that 
barber  and  said:  "Don't  send  me  any  more  of  your  people." 

RABBI  FRISCH:     It  is  only  skin  deep. 

MR.  SOLZBERGER  (continuing)  :  It  is  not  in  the  skin;  it  is 
in  the  brain ;  he  knew  how  to  take  it. 

Bear  in  mind,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  no  one  comes  to  us 
in  New  York  and  says :  "There  is  a  steamer  coming  up  the  harbor, 
and  there  are  a  thousand  Jewish  immigrants  on  board  of  her."' 
They  don't  usually  come  a  thousand  to  a  steamer.  They  don't 
say  "There  is  a  large  number  of  Jewish  immigrants,  and  some 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  155 

are  barbers  who  can't  shave,  and  some  are  carpenters  who  can't 
carp.  What  do  you  want  us  to  do  with  them,  dump  them  into  the 
bay  or  let  them  land?"  And  if  they  told  us  we  would  let  them 
land;  some  of  us  would  anyhow,  but  they  doii't  even  go  through 
the  formality  of  asking  us ;  they  let  them  land,  and  there  they  are. 
And,  believe  me,  we  have  troubles,  too,  and,  I  venture  to  say, 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  if  the  order  had  gone  out  last  week 
that  the  Jewish  residents  there  get  out;  if  that  order  had  been 
that  the  New  York  residents  get  out;  if  we  had  gone  to  Kieff; 
don't  you  believe  the  Kieff  people  would  have  troubles,  too? 

We  know  what  nice  people  we  are;  we  know  what  vivacious 
people  we  are;  we  know  how  pleasant  it  is  to  associate  with  us; 
we  know  how  people  ought  to  like  to  have  us  come  to  them,  and 
don't  you  believe  the  Kieff  people  would  have  all  these  troubles  if 
we  had  come  to  them,  even  well  equipped  with  worldly  goods? 
But  if,  in  addition  to  that,  we  had  been  stripped  of  our  worldly 
goods  before  being  sent  out  from  New  York  instead  of  Kieff,  don't 
you  suppose  they  would  have  had  their  hands  pretty  full? 

Because,  after  all,  it  is  not  that  the  barber  doesn't  know  how  to 
shave,  or  the  carpenter  doesn't  know  how  to  handle  tools,  but  it  is 
that  you  have  violently  wrenched  the  man  away  from  the  environ- 
ment in  which  he  belongs,  in  which  he  was  born  and  in  which 
he  learned  his  trade,  and  violently  thrust  him  into  a  new  environ- 
ment, which  he  cannot  adequately  understand,  and  the  only 
wonder  is  that  so  many  of  them  do  in  a  wonderfully  short  time 
adjust  themselves  to  the  new  environment. 

We  hear  a  lot,  and  a  great  deal  more  than  the  facts  justify, 
about  the  misdeeds  of  the  immigrant.  Don't  forget  that  decent 
living  is  done  quietly.  I  have  never  yot  encountered  in  a  news- 
paper— and  I  read  the  newspapers  with  fair  regularity — T  never 
yet  picked  up  a  newspaper  and  read :  "Brother  Billikopf  is  sup- 
porting his  wife  and  family."  It  is  not  that  it  is  not  of  im- 
portance; of  course,  it  is.  But  if  he  is  not  supporting  his  family, 
then  you  are  apt  to  read  about  it.  Bear  in  mind  that  the  good 
going  on  in  the  land  is  going  on  unheralded,  and  when  you  read 
about  this,  that  and  the  other  malefactor,  you  are  apt  to  think  that 
this  is  the  test  of  the  whole.  It  is  not. 


156  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

The  statistics  to  which  Judge  Mack  referred  last  night  show — 
and  I  know  the  statistics  are  correct,  because  I  gathered  them 
myself — that  the  percentage  of  wrongdoing  on  the  part  of  the 
Jewish  immigrant  is  less  than  that  on  the  part  of  the  native-born. 
That  shows  the  percentage  of  illiteracy  on  the  part  of  the  foreign- 
born  to  be  less  than  on  the  part  of  the  native-born.  Not  only  is 
that  true  where  illiteracy  is  the  greatest,  in  the  South,  but  it  is 
true  even  in  the  North,  that  theirs  is  a  higher  standard  of  education 
than  that  of  the  bulk  of  the  native-born.  I  say  this  with  no 
particular  pride — being  native-born  myself — but  it  is  the  truth, 
and  it  is  time  the  people  of  the  United  States  knew  these  truths, 
because  they  have  for  so  many  years  been  misled  in  connection 
with  immigration. 

The  work  that  has  been  done  in  Minneapolis,  and  in  Kansas  City, 
and  in  Pine  Bluff,  and  in  hundreds  of  other  cities  in  the  United 
States  is  work  that  can  be  duplicated  in  every  city  in  which  there 
is  a  Jewish  community. 

The  appeal  that  we  make  to  you  is  this:  You  have  signified 
by  the  manner  in  which  you  received  Judge  Mack's  appeal  last 
night  that  you  are  in  sympathy  with  the  proposition  that  immi- 
gration will  not  be  restricted  in  this  country.  Signalize  that  move- 
ment by  carrying  with  you  in  your  persons  a  willingness  to  co- 
operate in  this  work,  and  if  you  are  willing  to  co-operate  carry  it 
to  your  neighboring  communities,  so  that  we  may  have  throughout 
the  United  States  ramifications,  agencies,  which,  in  a  greater  or 
smaller  degree,  aid  in  this  vast  problem  of  so  much  importance, 
not  alone  to  the  Jews,  but  to  all  the  people  of  the  United  States. 

PRESIDENT  HOLLANDER:  This  completes  the  formal  discussion 
of  the  topic,  which  will  be  now  be  discussed  in  a  less  formal  manner 
on  the  floor,  with  strict  regard  to  the  five-minute  rule. 

Among  those  whose  names  appear  on  the  program  there  is  no 
one  which  represents  the  South,  which  is  the  center  of  the  Galves- 
ton  movement.  I  shall  therefore  exercise  the  arbitrary  right  of 
the  chairman  and  call  upon  one  who,  when  you  have  heard  him,  you 
will  admit  has  not  set  his  face  against  the  problem  so  successfully  as 
Rabbi  Frisch,  and  you  will  be  pleased  to  hear  from  our  old  friend, 
Rev.  Leucht. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE    OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  157 

RABBI  I.  L.  LEUCHT,  New  Orleans :  1  once  attended  a  conven- 
tion in  Indianapolis,  and  we  were  called  upon  to  give  our  report 
by  States.  By  some  lapse  the  secretary  jumped  Louisiana,  and 
when  I  got  the  floor  I  told  him  that  when  I  left  my  home  I  be- 
lieved Louisiana  yet  belonged  to  the  Union,  and,  therefore,  f 
would  like  to  be  heard.  And  I  am  in  a  like  position  today.  All 
the  speakers  so  far  that  have  been  heard  on  this  subject  have  come 
from  the  Northwest.  I  have  also  listened  to  Rabbi  Frisch,  who  has 
resided  in  the  South  for  a  short  time,  but  he  is  not  a  Southern 
man.  Mr.  Chairman,  I  have  been  living  in  New  Orleans  for  the 
last  forty  years,  and  I  will  say  that  I  was  one  of  the  first  men 
in  our  section  who  came  to  the  relief  of  New  York  when  the 
request  was  sent  out  to  take  some  Russian  Jews  off  their  hands. 
I  do  not  know  whether  what  I  have  to  say  will  be  in  keeping  with 
your  views  or  with  the  remarks  that  have  been  made  before  us. 
Mr.  President,  we  have  all  sorts  of  difficulties  in  the  South.  So 
far  as  Mississippi,  Louisiana  and  Texas  are  concerned,  we  are  co- 
operating with  each  other  as  to  how  we  can  take  hold  and  assist 
in  the  great  movement  that  confronts  the  United  States  today. 

We  are  confronted  in  the  first  place  by  the  negro  question.  The 
Southern  man  prefers  having  a  negro  laborer  on  his  farm  to  one 
of  our  race,  and  we  found  out  by  experience  that  both  cannot 
and  will  not  work  together. 

The  second  thing,  we  have  to  battle  against  an  uncomfortable 
climate  in  the  months  of  June,  July,  August  and  September, 
which  is  not  to  the  taste  of  the  newcomer. 

Third,  we  have  hardly  any  factories  to  speak  of. 

So  you  see,  Mr.  Chairman,  that  we  are  met  everywhere  by  great 
difficulties.  Nevertheless,  we  are  highly  interested  in  this  Galves- 
ton  movement.  But,  I  want  to  say  here,  it  is  perfectly  useless,  as 
fas  as  we  are  concerned,  to  send  us  a  great  number  of  Russian 
Jews  at  one  time.  We  are  not  able  to  place  them.  For  instance, 
we  took  into  one  factory  nineteen  men  and  found  work  for  them. 
Hardy  had  they  been  there  three  weeks  before  they  were  dis- 
charged. 

We  are  notified  by  the  New  York  Removal  Office  that  a  steamer 
is  coming  from  Hamburg  to  New  Orleans  and  we  probably  will 


158  PROCEEDINGS   OP   THE   SIXTH 

have  a  great  many  immigrants  to  care  for  and  find  occupations 
for  and  place  them.  Then  what  are  we  going  to  do?  If  such  a 
shipload,  say  of  about  300  Russian  Jews,  would  arrive  at  one  and 
the  same  time  it  would  be  utterly  impossible  to  place  them. 

But  I  want  to  remind  the  man  who  has  charge  of  the  Galveston 
movement,  and  those  of  the  city  of  New  York  as  well,  that  New 
Orleans,  while  it  is  one  of  the  main  ports  of  the  South,  cannot  do 
more  than  her  geographic  position — and  further  reasons  which  I 
have  already  mentioned — permits  us  to  accomplish. 

Mr.  President,  in  order  to  show  that  we  do  not  propose  to  shirk 
our  duty,  I  want  to  make  the  statement  that  of  all  the  Russians 
we  have  so  far  received  there  is  not  a  single  Russian  Jew  in  our 
city  who  is  on  the  charitable  list  of  our  socieites. 

PRESIDENT  HOLLANDER:  I  very  much  regret,  for  the  sake  of 
the  admirable  logic  that  was  otherwise  contained  in  Dr.  Leucht's 
remarks,  that  he  should  have  marred  it  by  his  last  sentence. 

DR.  LEUCHT:  On  the  contrary,  I  want  to  prove  to  you  that 
my  position  is  correct,  and  his  is  not.  I  say  in  the  last  sentence 
that  New  Orleans,  in  spite  of  all  difficulties,  has  placed  the  Russian 
Jew  in  such  position  that  today  not  one  receives  charity. 

MR.  S.  H.  FROHLICHSTEIN,  St.  Louis:  On  the  line  of  the  re- 
marks made  by  Mr.  Sulzberger  there  was  a  movement  made  that, 
in  my  judgment,  will  be  of  considerable  help  to  the  Removal  Office. 

Last  week  District  Grand  Lodge  No.  2,  of  the  B'nai  B'rith,  con- 
vened in  this  city,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  on  removal 
work.  This  committee  brought  in  a  set  of  resolutions,  which  were 
adopted,  which  are  not  very  long  and  which  I  would  like  to  read 
to  the  convention. 

The  recommendations  of  the  committee  were  as  follows: 

"We,  therefore,  recommend  that  a  permanent  district  removal 
and  employment  bureau  be  established.  The  president  shall  appoint 
this  committee,  to  be  composed  as  follows:  The  chairman  thereof 
shall  be  one  of  the  members  of  the  General  Committee  of  District 
Grand  Lodge  No.  2 ;  there  shall  be  seven  other  members  appointed, 
one  member  from  each  of  the  seven  States  comprising  this  district; 
these  members  to  be  known  as  State  chairmen.  The  State  chair- 
men shall  see  that  each  lodge  of  the  B'nai  B'rith  in  his  State 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  159 

appoints  a  committee,  who  shall  look  after  this  work  in  its 
locality;  he  shall  also  organize  the  chairmen  of  the  local  com- 
mittees into  a  State  committee,  so  that  the  entire  State  may  be 
thoroughly  looked  after.  This  general  committee  shall  work  in 
thorough  accord  with  the  Industrial  Kemoval  Office  of  New  York, 
and  shall  devise  the  best  methods  of  carrying  on  this  work  in  the 
various  localities." 

In  connection  with  these  resolutions,  1  want  to  make  this  state- 
ment: In  appointing  this  committee  the  president  appointed  five 
gentlemen,  all  of  whom  were  from  large  cities,  and  who  are  actively 
engaged  in  this  work.  I  was  among  those  first  to  find  fault  with 
sending  people  to  the  smaller  cities,  owing  to  the  fact  that  a  few 
years  ago  when  these  people  began  to  think  that  they  could  take 
part  in  the  work  if  they  were  permitted  to  do  so.  After  taking 
a  number  of  people  from  the  Removal  Office  they  permitted  these 
people  to  leave  their  community  after  a  very  short  time,  and  sent 
them  to  the  larger  cities,  where  they  became  a  burden  to  the  said 
cities  to  which  they  were  sent.  Mr.  Sulzberger  and  Mr.  Bressler 
will  remember  how  some  of  the  larger  cities  discontinued  entirely 
sending  for  people  on  account  of  this  drift  that  came  to  them 
from  the  smaller  towns. 

In  the  passing  of  these  resolutions  by  the  convention  I  distinctly* 
stipulated  that  they  were  offered  with  the  understanding  that  any 
city,  be  it  ever  so  small,  where  there  is  a  lodge,  should  not  write 
the  committee  for  any  more  removals  than  they  could  positively 
take  care  of,  and  before  writing  they  should  make  sure  that  the 
one  or  two  they  call  for  would  be  made  permanent  residents  and 
not  allowed  to  drift  to  the  larger  cities,  and  if  they  permit  them 
to  go  the  lodge  permitting  it  would  be  responsible  for  these  persons 
or  families. 

So  much  for  that.  Now  about  our  work  here.  Ever  since  the 
organization  of  the  Removal  Office  St.  Louis  has  taken  more  than 
its  quota,  and  I  think  that  it  has  taken  from  New  York  more 
than  any  one  city  in  the  Untied  States.  This  work  we  started 
nine  years  ago.  Two  years  ago  Mr.  Bressler  made  a  trip  heri3 
and  we  took  a  census.  We  found  83  per  cent,  of  the  people  were 
here  then.  After  nine  years  I  think  we  can  safely  say  that  we 


1GO  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

have  now  between  2,500  and  2,800  of  these  people,  including  men, 
women  and  children,  who  are  permanent  residents. 

Here  we  have  no  kick  against  the  Kemoval  Office,  except  they 
don't  send  us  enough  people.  Recently  I  wrote  Mr.  Bressler  to 
send  us  some  two  or  three  people  selected  from  the  list  he  sub- 
mitted to  us,  but  finding  that  he  could  not  send  us  these  people 
I  wrote  him  to  send  us  anyone  he  could  pick  out,  if  it  was  a  man 
with  two  arms,  two  legs,  eyes,  ears  and  a  nose  and  under  the 
age  of  sixty  years. 

Some  two  or  three  weeks  ago  I  went  over  to  our  Labor  Bureau 
Office  and  found  our  manager  seated  at  his  desk  reading  a  paper 
at  a  time  when  he  should  be  out  looking  for  employment  for 
applicants.  When  I  put  the  question  to  him:  "Is  this  the  way 
you  attend  to  your  business?"  he  answered:  "I  have  nothing  to 
do.  I  have  eighteen  positions  open  and  not  an  applicant  for  work, 
and  have  had  no  applicants  for  several  days.  Get  the  Eemoval 
Office  to  send  us  some  people  here  as  we  have  the  positions." 

As  far  as  St.  Louis  is  concerned  we  will  take  them  from  either 
New  York  or  Galveston  and  will  find  work  for  them  within  forty- 
eight  hours. 

MR.  JACOB  BILLIKOPF,  Kansas  City:  Mr.  Bressler's  paper  was 
so  very  splendid,  both  from  a  practical  and  an  academic  point  of 
view  and  the  discussions  that  followed  it  have  been  so  full  of 
detail,  that  anything  I  may  add  to  the  subject  may  appear  super- 
fluous. The  feature  in  Mr.  Bressler's  paper  with  which  I  am  more 
or  less  thoroughly  familiar  and  which  interests  me  particularly,  is 
the  one  pertaining  to  an  analysis  of  the  Galveston  movement. 

Kansas  City,  co-operating  as  it  does  with  the  Galveston  Bureau 
in  its  distributive  work,  to  a  much  larger  extent  than  any  other 
interior  agency,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  detail  in  brief  some  of  our 
experiences.  From  August  1,  1909,  until  May  1,  this  year,  we 
received  from  Galveston  about  125  men  and  women,  some  of  whom 
drifted  to  our  community  from  neighboring  towns.  They  repre- 
sented about  34  different  trades,  such  as  tailors,  shoemakers,  car- 
penters, tinners,  butchers,  blacksmiths,  machinists,  etc.  In  the 
great  majority  of  instances  we  were  successful  in  placing  them 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  161 

at  their  respective  trades,  and  almost  invariably  work  was  pro- 
cured for  them  within  a  week  after  their  arrival  in  our  city. 
During  the  above  period  we  found,  on  the  average,  about  three 
jobs  for  each  individual. 

In  addition  to  finding  them  suitable  employment  at  fairly  re- 
munerative wages,  we  aim  to  surround  them,  from  the  moment 
they  land  in  our  community,  with  such  educational  and  cultural 
advantages  as  will  equip  them  for  citizenship.  We  maintain  a 
night  school,  consisting  of  six  classes,  which  meet  four  times  a 
week,  under  the  instruction  of  capable,  paid  teachers,  and  the 
progress  the  immigrants  are  making  is  truly  remarkable.  I  may 
say,  in  this  connection,  that  a  great  number  of  the  married  men 
have  already  sent  for  their  families  and  others,  again  have  fairly 
substantial  bank  accounts.  What  is  truly  significant  about  this 
movement  is  that  some  of  our  people  have  succeeded  in  inducing 
relatives  and  friends,  who  have  been  residents  in  the  East  for 
several  years,  to  come  to  Kansas  City,  where  better  opportunities 
awaited  them. 

Now,  in  the  discussion  of  so  vital  a  problem  as  the  diversion  of 
immigration,  we  cannot  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  there  are  many 
difficulties,  which  present  themselves  from  time  to  time,  and  some 
of  the  objections  brought  out  by  Mr.  Jonas  Weil  and,  particularly, 
by  Rabbi  Frisch  deserve  some  consideration.  And  yet  I  feel  that 
at  a  gathering  of  this  nature,  where  people  come  from  all  parts 
of  the  country  to  study  the  larger  questions  effecting  our  people, 
we  cannot  afford  to  discuss  individual  cases,  but  we  must  view 
the  various  problems  from  the  largest  possible  point  of  view.  And 
it  is  for  this  reason  that,  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Bressler,  I  take 
the  liberty  to  read  a  communication  which  I  recently  received  from 
Mr.  Jacob  H.  Schiff,  the  projector  of  the  Galveston  movement — 
a  communication  which  deserves  the  most  careful  study  and  con- 
sideration on  account  of  the  great  message  he  presents  to  the 
Jews  of  this  country.  Mr.  Schiff  writes : 

"I  am  in  receipt  of  your  valued  letter  of  the  28th  ulto.,  with  a 
summary  of  results  obtained  by  a  group  of  immigrants  Consisting 
of  89  married  and  23  unmarried  men,  who  have  come  to  Kansas 
City  through  the  Port  of  Galveston,  and  of  whom,  between  80 


162  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

and  90  per  cent.,  as  you  state,  are  still  in  Kansas  City,  employed 
at  their  respective  trades. 

This  is  certainly  a  most  satisfactory  showing,  and  proves  best 
the  correctness  of  the  contention  of  the  promoters  of  the  Galveston 
movement,  that  Russian-Jewish  immigration,  if  only  properly  con- 
trolled and  placed,  is  certain  to  result  in  advantage  to  our  country. 
The  great  difficulty  is  that  the  seaport  towns,  more  especially 
New  York,  are  becoming  so  largely  congested  that  problems  result 
from  the  overpopulation  thus  created  in  these  towns,  and  more 
particularly  in  New  York,  which  are  difficult  of  solution,  and 
which  unless  solved,  are  becoming  a  menace  to  the  standing  of 
the  Jew  in  our  country.  Because  of  this,  it  is  important  that 
every  effort  be  made  and  supported  by  our  co-religionists  through- 
out the  country  to  deflect  Jewish  immigration  from  the  seaport 
towns,  and  rather  make  it  to  flow  into  the  great  American  Hinter- 
land, extending  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Pacific,  and  from  the 
Gulf  to  the  Canadian  Frontier  and  beyond,  where  the  laborer  is 
still  more  considerably  needed,  where  dwelling  conditions  are  far 
superior  to  the  crowded  seaport  towns,  and  where  there  is  room  yet, 
with  proper  distribution,  for  large  numbers  of  our  co-religionists, 
so  hard  driven  in  the  domain  of  the  Russian  Czar. 

"There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  Russian  Jew  is  a  splendid 
stock.  He  not  only  makes  it  possible  through  his  work  that  we 
maintain  and  extend  our  commercial  supremacy,  of  which,  with 
our  materialistic  tendencies,  we  stand  in  great  need. 

"It  is  therefore  much  of  a  satisfaction  to  those  who  have  the 
Galveston  movement  in  charge  that  you  and  others  have  given 
this  movement  such  practical  co-operation,  and  if  we  can  only 
continue  during  the  next  decade  to  plant  the  seed  for  a  larger 
Jewish  population  in  the  American  Hinterland,  I  feel  very  certain 
that,  in  decades  to  come,  the  standing  and  influence  of  the  Jew 
in  this  country  will  become  such  that  our  posterity  will  have  no 
cause  to  regret  the  welcome  their  fathers  have  given  to  the  per- 
secuted Russian  Jew. 

"Very  truly  yours, 

(Signed)  "JACOB  H.  SCHIFP." 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  163 

MR.  JACOB  FURTH,  St.  Louis:  As  a  member  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Independent  Order  of  the  B'nai  B'rith,  I  want 
to  thank  you,  Mr.  President,  for  giving  me  the  opportunity  to  say 
just  one  word  in  connection  with  the  distribution  of  immigrants. 

I  fully  agree  with  Mr.  Billikopf  that  the  proper  way  to  discuss 
a  paper  presented  on  the  floor  of  this  convention  is  to  take  a  broad 
view  rather  than  to  go  into  details.  We  come  to  the  Conference 
biennially  to  strengthen  ourselves,  receive  information,  and  to 
thoroughly  post  ourselves  so  that  we  may  be  able  to  go  through 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  and  intelligently  discuss  ques- 
tions pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  American  Jew,  as  well  as  of 
the  Jewish  immigrant. 

I  want  to  discuss  this  question  from  a  broad  standpoint.  I  don't 
want  to  be  personal.  I  don't  want  to  find  fault  with  the  paper 
under  discussion,  but  I  would  like  to  make  this  suggestion:  When 
a  program  is  made  up  for  our  conferences;  when  the  subjects  and 
topics  are  assigned,  they  should,  in  my  judgment,  be  treated  not 
from  one  viewpoint  alone.  There  are  two  sides  to  every  question, 
and  each  side  should,  in  my  judgment,  be  given  the  opportunity 
to  be  heard. 

If  the  subject  matter  of  Mr.  Bressler's  paper  had  been  thus 
subdivided,  we  might  have  had  the  opportunity  to  hear  it  discussed 
not  only  from  the  standpoint  of  the  New  Yorker,  but  also  from 
that  of  citizens  of  the  interior.  I  listened  very  carefully  to  the 
wording  of  Mr.  Bressler's  paper,  and  intended  to  take  down  some 
objections,  but,  fortunately,  I  did  not  find  that  necessar.y  In 
every  instance  that  I  intended  to  take  objection,  he  offered  an 
apology  for  his  view-point,  and  consequently  I  had  nothing  to 
object  to.  The  paper  presented  was  of  imposing  length  and  gave 
many  details,  but  it  was  rather  apologetic  in  its  nature.  What 
struck  me  as  most  disagreeable,  and  particularly  so  as  coming 
from  the  gentlemen  who  offered  the  paper,  was  that  when  treating 
of  the  origin  of  the  Removal  Office  he  omitted  to  mention  the 
name  of  that  great  man,  whose  wisdom  evolved  the  plan  of  the 
institution. 

We  must  always  bear  in  mind  that  Leo  K.  Levi  was  the  man 
whose  genius  suggested  the  formation  of  the  organization  to 


164  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

remove  immigrants  from  the  congested  districts  in  the  Eastern 
seaport  cities,  so  that  they  might  find  homes  elsewhere.  It  was 
my  proud  privilege  to  co-operate  with  the  late  leader  in  this  move- 
ment. While  the  underlying  principle  of  the  Kemoval  Office  was 
industrial  in  character,  it  was  not  altogether  so.  It  was  his  idea 
to  raise  the  moral  and  ethical  level  of  the  people  and  to  use  his 
own  language — "to  give  the  boys  the  opportunity  to  become  decent 
men  and  to  give  the  girls  the  opportunity  to  become  virtuous 
women." 

The  industrial  part  of  the  program  was  outlined  by  the  great 
philanthropist,  Baron  de  Hirsch.  The  name  of  the  organization 
has  been  well  selected  and  strictly  in  accordance  with  the  Baron's 
ideas.  The  first  two  million  dollars  which  he  contributed  were 
given  absolutely  for  industrial  purposes.  He  intended  to  give 
to  the  immigrants  an  opportunity  to  enlarge  their  views,  improve 
their  condition  and  scatter  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land  rather  than  remain  in  the  tenement  houses  of  the  congested 
districts. 

One  word  in  Mr.  Bressler's  paper  grated  harshly  on  my  ears. 
I  had  never  heard  it  used  in  connection  with  any  part  of  the 
United  States,  and  I  believe  it  never  has  been  used  in  that  way 
outside  of  Manhattan  Island.  It  is  the  word  "Hinterland."  I 
didn't  know  there  was  a  "Hinterland"  in  America.  I  don't  believe 
anyone  in  the  West  or  in  the  South  knows  of  a  "Hinterland." 
It  is  an  un-American  word  and  I  regret  that  it  was  ever  used 
either  by  Mr.  Bressler  or  others  in  connection  with  the  immigrant 
problem. 

One  more  word  before  my  time  expires.  I  believe  the  subject 
matter  of  Mr.  Bressler's  paper  should  have  been  subdivided  into 
two  parts.  The  one  might  have  treated  of  the  removal  work  in 
general  and  the  other  of  the  Galveston  movement.  We  should 
have  separate  and  distinct  reports  on  these  great  movements,  and 
particularly  of  the  Galveston  movement.  It  seems  that  with  all 
the  means  and  the  machinery  at  the  command  of  the  Kemoval 
Office  not  more  than  3,500  people  were  handled  throughout  the 
entire  country. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  165 

RABBI  M.  SAMFIELD,  Memphis :  I  should  have  been  derelict  iu 
my  duty  as  the  representative  of  the  B'nai  B'rith  Chapter  of 
Memphis — having  lived  for  almost  forty  years  in  the  South — if  I 
did  not  add  my  testimony,  and,  at  the  same  time,  make  a  statement 
of  the  experience  I  have  had  like  our  friend,  Dr.  Leucht.  I  had 
the  same  experience  as  he  had,  only  I  had  an  agricultural  experi- 
ment, and  I  wish  to  say,  that  in  taking  up  the  cause  of  the 
Jewish  immigrant,  which  it  is  our  solemn  duty  to  do,  and  no  com- 
munity ought  to  shirk  that  duty,  that  we  must  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  Eussian  Jew  is  more  apt  to  succeed  in  the  com- 
mercial pursuits  than  in  any  other  pursuits  that  he  can  undertake. 
In  various  communities  in  the  United  States  I  have  had  the  ex- 
perience, and  I  know  that  we  went  about  it  practically  and  de- 
liberately, and  we  selected  only  those  who  had  been  farmers  al- 
ready in  Russia,  and  yet  we  failed.  We  failed  in  a  colony  that 
comprised  about  sixteen  or  eighteen  families.  These  families  went 
off  after  they  had  already  succeeded,  after  three  years  of  fanning 
and  getting  a  surplus  profit  of  not  less  than  $2,000,  but  although 
they  were  financially  successful  it  seems  the  invitations  extended 
to  them  by  relatives  and  friends  to  enter  commercial  pursuits 
instead  of  continuing  farming  were  too  much  for  them,  and  they 
all  left  that  colony. 

I  have  in  Memphis  a  colony  of  about  600  families — I  call  it  a 
colony  because  the  newspapers  often  talk  about  it,  and  I  wish  to 
say  to  you  that  in  the  different  courts  of  our  city  since  the  last 
six  years  the  Russian  Jew  has  come  in  contact  with  the  law.  We 
are  educating  their  children;  we  propose  establishing  a  kinder- 
garten for  the  Russians  down  in  our  Temple.  Ladies  and  gentle- 
men are  engaged  in  teaching  children  at  night  school,  and  the 
number  commencing  with  12  we  now  have  about  50  or  60  of  these 
Russian  Jews. 

The  success  of  the  Russian  Jew  in  the  commercial  pursuits  is 
evident  from  the  fact  that  in  1880  I  had  care  of  about  60  Russians. 
Forty  of  them  resided  in  Memphis,  and  you  will  be  surprised  to 
hear  that  at  least  10  of  these  have  been  successful  merchants,  and 
6  of  these  10  can  go  to  New  York  and  buy  goods  on  credit  in 


166  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

amounts  from  $15,000  to  $20,000,  all  made  from  1880  to  the 
present  date. 

Now  one  matter  that  I  wish  to  mention,  and  that  is  that  in  the 
agricultural  pursuits  in  the  South,  as  Dr.  Leucht  has  already 
stated,  there  are  a  great  many  difficulties,  and  one  of  them  is  the 
climate.  I  was  instrumental  in  starting  a  colony  in  Texas,  and 
there  were  many  serious  sacrifices,  so  that  I  take  it  that  we  have 
to  take  into  consideration  first  of  all  that  while  it  is  not  altogether 
a  charitable  function  to  assist  the  Kussian  immigrant,  that  is,  be- 
ginning with  the  time  he  comes,  it  is  in  part  a  charitable  proposi- 
tion, and  that  all  these  communities  to  which  Russian  Jews  are 
sent  ought  to  be  told  to  guard  and  put  forth  their  time  and  energy 
and  spend  money  in  order  to  secure  that  they  become  good  Ameri- 
can citizens. 

PRESIDENT  HOLLANDER  :  Mr.  Bressler  will  now  take  a  very  few 
minutes  in  summing  up. 

MR.  BRESSLER:  The  discussion  of  this  session's  paper  has 
brought  out  very  clearly  that  there  is  practical  unanimity  regard- 
ing the  importance  for,  and  need  of,  carrying  on  the  work  of 
distribution.  Therefore,  it  hardly  seems  necessary  to  avail  myself 
of  the  privilege  of  the  last  word  upon  the  subject.  We  are  all 
agreed  as  to  the  principle,  though  we  may  differ  occasionally  as 
to  the  method  and  detail.  These,  to  wit,  method  and  detail,  being 
altogether  dependent  upon  judgment  and  experience,  can  easily  be 
changed  or  adjusted  to  suit  the  particular  needs  of  each  com- 
munity. I  make  no  bones  about  the  fact  that  we  have  made  mis- 
takes, and  if  our  friends  throughout  the  country  will  only  do  them- 
selves justice  by  admitting  that  they  too  have  made  mistakes,  they 
will  show  that  they  are  as  human  as  we  are.  So  far  as  the  home 
office  is  concerned,  I  might  predict  many  things,  but  I  can  only 
promise  one  thing,  which  I  am  quite  sure  we  can  keep,  and  that 
is  that  we  will  continue  to  make  mistakes — not  deliberately  or 
consciously,  but  those  little  mistakes  and  errors  of  judgment  that 
are  common  to  people  who  attempt  to  do  things.  There  are  many 
of  you  here  who  are  at  the  head  of  large  business  enterprises,  who 
deal  in  articles  which  can  be  appraised  with  absolute  exactness,  who 
employ  high-salaried  experts  and  specialists  in  every  branch  of 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE    OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  16  ( 

your  business,  whose  duty  it  is,  among  other  things,  to  minimize 
the  possibilities  of  errors  occurring,  and  yet  despite  this  I  don't 
believe  that  there  is  one  here  who  has  not  at  one  time  or  another 
suffered  materially  as  a  result  of  mistake  in  judgment  or  mis- 
placed confidence.  And  so,  when  sitting  in  judgment  upon  us  for 
occasional  lapse  from  infallibility,  I  ask  that  you  bear  in  mind  your 
own  experience;  and  when  you  will  remember  that  we  have  not 
the  same  facility  for  finding  such  eminent  specialists  in  human 
souls  as  you  have  in  your  various  businesses,  then  you  will  realize 
that  we  are  doing  the  best  we  can. 

REPORT  OF   COMMITTEE  ON   PRESIDENT'S   MESSAGE  AND  SECRETARY'S 

REPORT. 

MR.  MARTIN  A.  MARKS,  Cleveland:     Mr.  President,  the  Com- 
mittee on  President's  Message  and  Secretary's  Eeport  begs  to  sub- 
mit its  report,  as  follows: 
To  the  Members  of  the  National  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities: 

We,  the  Committee  to  whom  was  referred  the  message  of  the 
President  of  this  Conference  and  the  report  of  the  Secretary,  beg 
leave  to  report: 

That  we  voice  the  sentiments  of  all  the  members  of  the  Con- 
ference present,  of  appreciation  of  the  splendid  and  instructive 
report  submitted  to  us  by  the  President.  We  are  sure  same  will 
be  read  with  much  interest  by  all  the  constituent  organizations 
that  are  connected  with  the  Conference,  also  the  subscribers  to 
the  Conference  proceedings.  The  President's  report  will  add  a 
valuable  contribution  to  the  literature  on  the  subject  of  Jewish 
philanthropy,  and  we  recommend  that  the  same  be  published  in 
pamphlet  form  and  widely  distributed. 

The  thanks  of  this  Conference  are  hereby  tendered  to  President 
Jacob  H.  Hollander  for  his  valuable  and  efficient  services  to  the 
Conference. 

We  also  wish  to  extend  our  thanks  to  the  Secretary,  Mr.  Louis 
H.  Levin,  for  the  inestimable  services  he  has  gratuitously  rendered 
to  the  Conference.  We  are  pleased  to  state  that  the  various  recom- 
mendations embodied  in  his  report  have  already  met  with  the 
approval  of  the  members  of  the  Executive  Committee,  and  same 


168  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE  SIXTH 

will  be  embodied  in  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions. 
We  trust  that  they  will  meet  with  the  hearty  approval  of  the 
Conference. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

SAMUEL  S.  FLEISHER,  Chairman; 
JACOB  BILLIKOPF, 
MARTIN  A.  MARKS. 
On  motion,  the  report  was  unanimously  adopted. 

PRESIDENT  HOLLANDER:     The  meeting  stands  adjourned. 

Wednesday,  May  18,  1910. 
EVENING  SESSION. 

VICE-PRESIDENT  MARTIN  A.  MARKS:  The  Conference  will 
come  to  order. 

I  take  pleasure  in  introducing  to  you  Miss  Minnie  F.  Low,  of 
Chicago,  who  will  read  a  paper  on  "Legal  Aid." 

The  following  paper  on  "Legal  Aid"  was  read  by  Miss  Low: 

LEGAL  AID 

BY  MINNIE  F.  Low, 

Superintendent  of  the  Bureau  of  Personal  Service, 
CHICAGO,  ILL. 

The  idea  of  Legal  Aid,  as  a  factor  in  the  curriculum  of  Social 
Service,  has  received  neither  thought  nor  attention  commensurate 
with  its  importance  at  the  hands  of  social  workers,  nor  has 
the  charitably  inclined  public  any  clear  conception  of  the  nature 
and  need  of  this,  more  or  less  complicated  branch  of  the  newer 
philanthropy.  In  the  course  of  charitable  evolution,  the  intro- 
duction of  preventive  and  protective  methods,  has  not  progressed 
consistently  with  the  general  advance  in  the  many  other  import- 
ant affairs  of  our  modern  civilization.  Whether  it  be  timidity, 
a  shirking  of  responsibility,  or  the  fear  of  overburdening  a  com- 
munity, cannot  be  definitely  stated;  but,  it  must  be  conceded  that 
there  is,  and  has  been,  retarded  growth  and  expansion,  along  the 
lines  of  up-to-date,  logical  methods,  ways  and  means  of  intelli- 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  169 

gently  meeting  the  issues  of  the  day.  It  is  the  irresistible  pres- 
sure of  legitimate  demands,  that  forces  such  issues,  and  generates 
the  motor  impulse  stirring  the  responsive  few  to  action. 

When  the  Bureau  of  Personal  Service  first  opened  its  doors, 
its  objects  were  those  employed  by  the  Charity  Organization  So- 
cieties of  our  larger  cities.  However,  from  the  very  inception  of 
the  work,  in  the  congested  Jewish  quarters,  there  came  daily  to 
our  doors  a  large  number  of  both  men  and  women,  asking  for 
aid  in  legal  matters,  of  every  conceivable  classification.  There  was 
manifestly  evident,  so  far  as  our  Jewish  Charities  were  concerned, 
a  well  defined  gap,  with  not  the  slightest  provision  for  affording 
relief  to  a  class  of  people,  clearly  deserving.  Their  mental  anguish, 
and  financial  distress,  owing  to  litigation  in  its  various  phases, 
were  palpably  evident.  Hundreds  upon  hundreds  of  our  co-relig- 
ionists were  suffering  the  disastrous  effects,  physically,  mentally 
and  financially  of  legal  entanglement,  without  redress.  Many  of 
these  were  ignorant,  ill-advised,  or  unadvised,  and  most  of  them 
were  penniless.  They  were  wholly  at  the  mercy  of  a  merciless, 
grinding  legal  machinery,  slow,  cumbersome,  unjust.  For,  sad  to 
say,  it  takes  the  poor,  unsophisticated  foreigners  but  a  short  time 
to  appreciate,  that  legal  justice  is  an  attribute  wholly  incompre- 
hensible, and  inconsistent  to  their  moral  conception  of  fair  ad- 
judication. 

After  a  careful  investigation  of  the  question  of  Legal  Aid,  in 
its  various  aspects,  and  a  cautious  analysis  of  the  justice  of  the 
demands  made  upon  us,  we  concluded  that  this,  hitherto  unex- 
plored field  of  charitable  endeavor,  was  not  only  practicable,  but 
that  it  was  necessary,  and  that  the  possibilities  for  good  were  with- 
out limit.  The  few  Jewish  workers,  facing  these  problems  in  their 
daily  routine,  could  no  longer  temporize  with  conscience,  by  re- 
fusing and  rejecting  the  many  piteous  appeals;  and  thus  un- 
equipped and  practically  unprepared,  our  entire  working  plans 
were  changed,  to  meet  the  demands  made  upon  us.  The  appeals 
of  our  applicants  presented  not  only  the  bitter  cry  of  the  har- 
rassed,  occasioned  through  fear  of  arrest,  imprisonment,  or  ex- 
tended litigation  and  injustice,  but  in  such  appeals,  as  well,  were 
expressed  the  hopelessness  of  poverty  and  defeat.  Struggling 


170  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

against  a  combination  of  conditions  torturing  in  the  extreme,  it 
was  little  wonder  that  some  of  them  turned  to  friendly  neighbors 
for  help.  And  thus,  it  was  the  demand  made  by  the  people  them- 
selves, that  put  into  motion,  this  newer  branch  of  Social  Work, 
so  indispensable  to  the  development  of  a  well-rounded  system  of 
personal  service  in  a  large  city. 

Were  there  swift  and  incontrovertible  justice  by  bar  and  bench; 
were  technical  law  consistent  with  humane,  moral,  equitable,  ad- 
justment of  affairs,  and  were  the  practices  of  those  representing 
the  bar  based  uniformly  on  high-grade  ethics,  charitable  inter- 
ference in  legal  matters,  would  play  a  mnior  part.  Unfortunately, 
however,  the  law,  in  many  instances  is  hard,  cruel,  and  not  cal- 
culated to  protect  the  best  interests  of  society,  or  of  the  individual. 
Unfortunately,  too,  the  ethics  of  members  of  the  bar  do  not  always 
insure  honorable  dealing  and  particularly  is  this  so  among  a  class 
of  lawyers  available  for  small  fees  in  technically  inconsequen- 
tial matters.  It  is  because  of  latent  qualities  of  justice  in  both  the 
system  and  the  individual,  that  charitable  interference  is  not  only 
kind,  but  is  necessary.  The  helplessness  of  the  ignorant,  indigent 
foreigner,  coming  inadvertently  under  the  ban  of  the  law,  must 
necessarily  appeal  to  anyone  familiar  with  legal  procedure  and 
the  many  distressing,  harrassing  features  incident  thereto.  Re- 
construction of  the  Judicial  branch  of  our  government,  simplifi- 
cation of  procedure,  the  application  of  system  and  business-like 
methods,  would  minimize  the  dire  effect  of  litigation  in  prevent- 
ing the  present  day,  needless  sacrifice  of  time,  money  and  vitality. 
Through  unsophisticated  ignorance,  unexpectedly,  without  the 
slightest  premonition,  by  sheer  accident,  as  it  were,  it  is  possible 
to  become  an  offender  against  the  law.  To  make  such  an  offender 
pay  the  penalty  demanded  by  technical  law,  is  a  travesty  on  jus- 
tice, a  wrong  against  society,  and  a  crime  against  the  individual. 

Careful  inquiry  into  the  administration  of  justice  in  our  courts 
today  shows  neither  satisfactory  nor  logical  conclusions.  There 
can  be  no  logical  excuse  to  the  commonsense,  reasonable  being, 
imbued  with  a  love  of  humanity,  and  gifted  with  the  proper  atti- 
tude towards  a  better  society,  for  the  expensive,  dilatory,  irksome 
methods  of  court  procedure,  universally  in  vogue.  Delays  alone, 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE    OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  171 

barring  other  injustices  and  hardships,  are  the  root  of  glaring  in- 
consistencies, resulting  in  untold  anguish  to  the  poor  man,  or  the 
wage-worker,  who,  at  best,  has  not  the  means  to  pay  the  price  of 
justice.  Instead  of  carrying  a  purchase  price,  making  it  accessible 
to  every  good  citizen,  in  conformity  with  its  basic  principle,  jus- 
tice is  the  most  costly  commodity  of  a  modern  society. 

Another  remarkable  inconsistency,  and  one  not  satisfactorily 
explained,  is  why  such  undue  weight  should  be  given  to  techni- 
calities. Technical  delays,  are  for  the  most  part,  not  brought  in 
good  faith;  are  inimical  to  the  best  interests  of  society,  and  are  the 
means  of  completely  disregarding,  and  obliterating  the  moral  is- 
sues of  a  case,  being  thus  flagrantly  at  variance  with  the  first  ele- 
ments of  justice.  The  overthrow  of  the  reign  of  technicalities, 
especially  where  no  substantial  consideration  of  justice  is  involved, 
and  where  such  overthrow  would  conserve  the  moral  issues,  would 
also  mean  a  great  victory  to  indigent  litigants.  The  grounds  for 
delays  are  strained  in  most  instances,  truth  is  perverted  and  the 
adherence  to  strict  legal  rule  is  used  as  a  subterfuge  to  pervert 
honorable,  moral  adjudication.  For,  looking  the  conditions  square- 
ly in  the  face,  must  it  not  be  conceded  that,  only  too  often,  he  who 
plays  the  game  most  skilfully,  backed  by  artifice  and  means,  is  the 
one  who  ultimately  wins  ? 

The  American  Bar  Association,  last  year,  in  a  code  of  profes- 
sional ethics,  hinted  at  the  abuses  practiced  and  sustained  in  Court 
procedure  "by  nullification  of  law  through  technicality,  and  the 
defeat  of  substantial  justice  through  delays,  quibblings  and  the 
setting  up  of  questionable  plans  and  defenses  for  evading  and 
thwarting  legislation,  contrary  to  the  best  public  policy."  Another 
sentiment  expressed  was  that  "no  client,  whether  corporate  or  in- 
dividual, however  powerful,  nor  any  cause,  civil,  or  political,  how- 
ever important,  is  entitled  to  service  or  advice  involving  disloyalty 
to  the  law."  The  legal  profession  at  large  concedes  these  weak- 
nesses and  inconsistencies;  the  Social  Worker  knows  them  to  be  a 
fact.  In  the  face  of  the  many  digressions  from  real  justice  in  our 
system,  is  there  any  reason  why  the  poor  man,  unable  to  break 
down  the  barriers  or  to  remove  the  obstacles,  should  not  seek  some 
means  of  extricating  himself?  We  cannot  expect  members  of  the 


172  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

bar  to  interest  themselves  to  any  great  extent  in  the  needs  of  the 
poor.  Their  professional  talents  are  to  them,  what  wares  are  to 
the  merchant,  and  cannot  be  dispensed  free  of  cost  without  injury 
to  their  legitimate  business.  Where  then  is  the  medium  through 
which  the  poor  man  shall  secure  justice,  for  without  means,  he 
cannot  secure  it,  under  the  present  day  social  mal-adjustment.  He 
comes  under  the  ban  of  customary,  oppressive  practices  alike  with 
the  rich.  The  man  of  means  can  afford  to  wait;  can  afford  to  pay 
handsomely  while  biding  his  time,  with  the  hope  of  ultimate 
favorable  outcome.  Money  can  purchase  prolonged  protection  to 
the  offender  of  means,  and  prevent  the  infliction  of  injustice  to 
the  innocent;  but  the  poor  man  has  no  protection  against  injus- 
tice, for  if  he  be  charged  with  crime,  unless  he  has  the  where- 
withal to  get  proper  legal  advice,  and  perchance  to  pay  for  a  bond, 
he  is  compelled  to  languish  behind  the  bars,  until  the  slow  process 
of  the  Courts  allows  him  an  opportunity  to  prove  his  innocence. 
Our  legal  machinery  instead  of  lending  speedy  justice,  grinds  into 
the  hearts  and  souls  of  hundreds  upon  hundreds  of  its  citizens 
each  year,  the  shame  of  bar  and  cell  and  prison  life,  before  they 
have  an  opportunity  to  extricate  themselves. 

While  there  is  a  certain  class  of  clients,  who  can  pay  for  in- 
ferior legal  talent,  many  do  so  at  the  expense  of  their  families, 
depriving  their  children  of  the  necessities  of  life,  and  incurring 
endless  hardships.  Such  litigants  are  not  only  not  assured  of  in- 
telligent service,  but  are  only  too  often  at  the  mercy  of  a  class  of 
lawyers,  whose  ethics  are  unsound,  whose  methods  are  question- 
able, and  whose  interest  in  their  clients  is  subservient  to  the  many 
influences,  which  are  a  menace  and  a  temptation  to  the  profes- 
sion. When  the  man  of  limited  means  has  given  his  last  available 
dollar  for  a  defense,  without  redress  or  result;  when  justice  has 
been  delayed,  or  denied,  because  of  mediocre  presentation,  or  in- 
difference on  the  part  of  counsel,  or  perchance  because  the  Court 
has  not  been  properly  informed  of  all  the  facts,  legal  and  moral, 
there  is  every  reasonable  excuse  for  charitable  interference  to  end 
the  nerve-racking  suspense,  the  fear,  and  mental  anguish  of  the 
oppressed. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  173 

Convinced  beyond  a  doubt  that  much  of  the  distress  we  wit- 
nessed was  entirely  avoidable,  the  Social  Workers  interested  in 
the  Jewish  philanthropies  of  Chicago  introduced  a  number  of  pre- 
ventive measures  with  gratifying,  positive  results.  One  line  of 
work  yielding  tangible  returns  has  been  that  in  connection  with 
our  Police  Stations.  Among  the  busiest  of  these  centers  is  the 
one  located  in  the  congested  Jewish  district  of  the  West  Side. 
This  building  also  houses  a  branch  of  our  Municipal  Court.  In 
this  Station,  so  convenient  to  residents,  neighborhood  people  went 
daily  in  large  numbers  to  air  their  troubles, — real,  imaginary, 
serious,  and  inconsequential.  Here,  through  unscrupulous  petti- 
foggers and  others  preying  on  the  pockets  of  the  unsuspecting, 
unnecessary,  malicious  litigation  was  incited,  and  hundreds  of 
needless,  preventable  arrests  were  made  during  the  course  of  a 
year,  resulting  in  untold  distress  to  our  already  overburdened  poor. 

Because  so  many  trifling  differences  were  magnified  and  dis- 
torted; because  many  through  lack  of  proper  guiding  and  friendly 
advice,  joined  the  vast  army  of  litigants,  we  felt  that  to  invade 
this  field,  for  the  purposes  of  prevention  and  protection,  would 
be  to  emphasize  the  principle  of  personal  service  in  its  most  ideal 
sense. 

Our  immigrant  population,  for  the  most  part,  come  to  this 
country  to  flee  the  cruelties  of  a  despotic  monarchy,  where  they 
are  robbed  of  every  vestige  of  inherent  rights;  where  victims  of 
monstrous  injustices  and  atrocities,  they  are  held  in  vilest  sub- 
jection. They  naturally  look  to  America  as  the  Land  of  the  Free 
and  the  Haven  of  Peace.  Their  optimistic  views  are  soon  shat- 
tered, however,  when  the  real  situation,  with  the  attending  hard- 
ships and  congestion  confronts  them.  In  the  overcrowding  of 
our  densely  populated  districts,  living  in  too  close  proximity  for 
the  necessary  breathing  space,  where  two  or  three  families  are 
compelled  to  occupy  the  area  of  one;  without  an  available  foot 
of  ground  where  the  children  can  engage  in  play,  or  give  vent  to 
their  inborn  activities,  it  is  little  wonder  that  an  endless  amount 
of  differences  should  arise.  Trivial  grievances  are  nursed,  and 
magnified  by  those  seeing  their  insults  in  the  heat  of  passion.  Be- 
lieving, therefore,  that  the  local  stations  and  closely  adjoining 


174  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

courts,  were  breeding  among  the  poorer  classes  useless,  degrading 
strife;  and  realizing  that  here  were  fields  abounding  with  ma- 
terial for  preventive  and  constructive  humanitarianism,  we  inau- 
gurated some  three  years  ago,  a  system  that  has  since  been  adopted 
by  social  workers  throughout  the  city.  The  plan  to  station  one  of 
our  agents  at  the  local  Police  Station,  particularly  to  interview 
applicants  for  warrants  and  intercept  litigation,  met  with  quick 
response  upon  the  part  of  the  commanding  officer,  who  imme- 
diately provided  desk  room.  At  the  Stations  last  year  about  Five 
Hundred  original  complaints  were  intercepted  and  satisfactorily 
arbitrated.  In  almost  every  case,  it  was  necessary  to  visit  the 
person  complained  against,  as  well  as  the  one  making  the  com- 
plaint, and  to  bring  the  contending  parties  together,  before  it  was 
possible  to  straighten  out  their  difficulties.  This  means  not  only 
that  Five  Hundred  persons  making  complaints  were  dissuaded 
from  litigating,  but  it  also  means  that  Five  Hundred  prospective 
defendants  were  spared  the  worry  and  humiliation  incident  to 
arrest.  In  the  office  of  the  Bureau  of  Personal  Service,  Four 
Hundred  additional  cases  were  arbitrated,  making  in  all  Eighteen 
Hundred  persons  kept  out  of  the  Court  room  on  original  com- 
plaints. Adding  only  one  witness  to  a  side,  the  minimum  num- 
ber of  persons  turned  homeward,  instead  of  Courtward,  averaged 
not  less  than  Thirty-six  Hundred  souls.  This  is  a  very  conserva- 
tive estimate,  as  in  one  case  alone  which  was  arbitrated  at  the 
office,  eighteen  witnesses  were  in  evidence.  The  next  step  from 
the  Police  Station,  was  naturally  the  Police  Court,  where  an  end- 
less panorama  of  human  misery  greeted  the  eye  day  by  day.  Here 
during  the  course  of  a  week,  coming  before  the  same  bar  of  jus- 
tice could  be  seen  men  and  women,  boys  and  girls  of  all  ages  and 
descriptions.  On  the  one  hand,  there  was  the  youth  in  the  infancy 
of  his  criminal  career,  on  the  other  hand,  stood  the  man  bowed 
and  gray.  Now  the  shifting  scenes  pictured  the  sturdy  laborer 
in  temporary  disgrace,  while  beside  him  was  the  vagrant,  shift- 
less, ambitionless — idle.  The  inadvertent  or  accidental  offender, 
the  periodically  recurring  violator  of  the  law,  and  the  habitual 
criminal,  all  formed  a  part  of  this  trouble-laden,  sorrowful  proces- 
sion. Victim  and  victimized  met  face  to  face,  and  besides  all  these 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  175 

came  a  class,  making  one  of  the  most  pitiable  pictures  of  human 
beings  dehumanized — the  intemperate,  the  debauched  and  the  mor- 
ally depraved. 

Before  the  inauguration  of  the  system  of  intercepting  com- 
plaints and  heading  off  warrants,  the  local  Police  Court  had  its 
full  quota  of  Jewish  litigants.  There  were  days  when  Jews  were 
most  prominently  in  evidence,  composing  the  majority  of  all  liti- 
gants and  witnesses.  Today  such  scenes  are  exceptional.  Judges, 
who  formerly  were  incumbents  of  the  local  bench,  have  commented 
upon  the  very  noticeable  change  of  conditions.  In  the  Stations, 
as  well  as  in  all  branches  of  our  work,  arbitration  is  the  watch- 
word. In  juvenile,  family  and  neighborhood  matters,  in  differ- 
ences between  employers  and  employes;  in  disputes  on  account  of 
wages,  and  in  almost  every  shade  and  description  of  domestic 
trouble,  arbitration  is  effective. 

It  is  a  rule,  held  inviolate,  except  in  extraordinarily  extreme 
cases,  that  no  complaint  be  acted  upon,  without  first  getting  an 
expression  from  the  party  or  parties  complained  against.  Both 
sides  of  a  case  must  be  submitted,  and  only  after  hearing  all  of 
the  evidence,  is  any  definite  action  taken,  or  advised.  In  this 
manner,  justice  to  all  is  maintained,  and  the  judicial  qualities  of 
every  worker  are  developed  through  a  gradual  process  of  experi- 
ence and  contact  with  judicial  problems. 

The  cases  handled  in  the  Legal  Aid  Department  of  our  Jewish 
Charities  come  most  prominently  under  the  following  classifica- 
tions : 

DOMESTIC  DIFFICULTY: 

Cruelty  in  its  many  phases. 

Immorality. 

Non-  Support. 

Abandonment. 

Separate  Maintenance. 

Divorce. 

Bigamy. 


176  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  SIXTH 

NEGLECT  OF  AND  CRIMES  AGAINST  CHILDREN: 

Cruelty. 

Contributing  to  Dependency. 

Contributing  to  Delinquency. 

Indecent  Liberties. 

Crimes  against  nature. 

Seduction. 

Rape. 
PETTY  CRIMES: 

Disorderly  conduct. 

Assault  (and  many  others). 

FELONIES  : 

Larceny. 

Confidence  Game. 

Eeceiving  stolen  property. 

Embezzlement. 
CIVIL  MATTERS: 

Violations  of  City  ordinances  (peddling  without  license  and 
other  ordinances  regulating  venders,  and  all  violations  of 
health  and  sanitary  laws). 

Damage  suite. 

Personal  injury  suits. 

Forcible  detainer  suits. 

Money  claims. 

Wage  claims. 

Contracts. 

Disputes  involving  property. 

Foreclosure  suits  (involving  principally  dealings  with  chat- 
tel mortgage  companies). 

Insurance  claims  (life,  fire  and  accident). 

These  enumerations  include  the  class  of  cases  coming  repeatedly 
before  us,  in  the  course  of  our  daily  work,  but  by  no  means  in- 
clude all  the  classifications  with  which  we  deal. 

Time  will  not  permit  of  any  attempt  at  comprehensive  explana- 
tion, showing  why  and  under  what  conditions  charitable  legal 
interference  is  permissible,  ethically  speaking,  in  the  various  mat- 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE    OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  177 

ters  here  tabulated.  Reference  to  a  very  few  of  the  classifications 
mentioned  may,  however,  give  a  slight  idea  of  the  value  of  legal 
aid.  Would  it  be  consistent  with  moral  adjudication  for  instance, 
to  permit  a  peddler,  otherwise  law-abiding  and  of  good  character, 
to  serve  time  in  the  House  of  Correction  because,  perchance  he  in 
the  face  of  dire  poverty,  felt  it  his  duty  to  buy  bread  for  his  chil- 
dren rather  than  to  enrich  the  city  treasury  to  the  extent  of  an 
exorbitant  fee?  Our  peddlers  in  Chicago  pay  Fifty  Dollars  per 
year  for  a  license,  and  now  Five  Dollars  additional  for  a  wheel 
tax.  The  average  man  cannot  support  his  family  engaged  in  this 
trade,  and  some  time  or  another  during  the  year,  must  have  re- 
course to  some  charitable  or  loan  organization  for  a  temporary  lift, 
especially  during  the  winter  season;  and  yet  our  city  government 
insists  upon  collecting  more  than  a  dollar  a  week  from  his  meagre 
earnings.  That  some,  in  a  state  of  despair,  try  to  take  advan- 
tage of  this  unjust  demand,  cannot  be  wondered  at.  It  is  neither 
humane,  nor  is  it  consistent  with  public  policy  to  allow  such  an 
offender  to  be  forcibly  placed  behind  bars,  there  to  languish  for 
weeks  on  account  of  this  pardonable  infraction  of  the  law,  grow- 
ing out  of  pressing  need. 

It  is  a  strange  fact,  however,  that  these  comparatively  inno- 
cent foreigners,  guilty  of  minor  violations,  are  especially  pursued 
by  the  police,  are  harrassed  and  prosecuted,  while  those  guilty  of 
more  serious  offenses,  are  unmolested.  When  a  man  conies  be- 
fore the  Court  charged  with  a  specific  offense,  the  Judge,  elected 
to  enforce  the  law,  naturally  finds  it  more  or  less  embarrassing  to 
show  unusual  clemency,  unless  an  appeal  is  made  by  some  per- 
son in  behalf  of  the  defendant.  The  Social  Worker  finds  many 
such  opportune  moments,  pleading  for  leniency  on  the  grounds 
of  poverty,  family  distress,  and  obligations,  and  pointing  out  the 
fallacy  of  depriving  the  ordinarily  law-abiding  citizen  of  his  lib- 
erty, at  the  expense  of  the  administration. 

Among  the  most  pitiable  appeals  of  complete  human  misery 
are  those  of  the  aged  and  infirm  parents,  pleading  humbly  for 
maintenance  at  the  hands  of  unnatural  children  who  have  lost  all 
trace  of  filial  duty  and  affection.  The  display  of  heartlessness 
against  those  tottering  close  to  the  grave  by  those  nearest  of  kin, 


178  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  SIXTH 

is  BO  utterly  tin-Jewish  that  we  would  fain  hide  the  truth  from 
ourselves.  Sad,  yet  true,  is  the  fact  that  sons  and  daughters, 
who  have  reached  a  state  of  comparative  comfort  and  affluence, 
are  in  some  instances  also  derelict  in  their  filial  duty.  For  the 
past  eight  years,  or  more,  the  incumbents  of  the  County  Court 
of  Cook  County,  have  instructed  their  assistants  not  to  start  suit 
in  Jewish  cases  without  first  referring  complaints  to  the  Bureau 
of  Personal  Service.  It  depends  entirely  upon  our  investigation 
and  recommendation,  whether  suit  is  started  or  not.  If  arbitra- 
tion fails  then,  and  then  only,  are  old  parents  subjected  to  the 
humiliation  of  facing  their  children  in  Court,  in  supplication  for 
that  which  should  voluntarily  be  given  them.  Bringing  cases  into 
the  County  Court  is  merely  a  matter  of  form,  so  far  as  most  of  our 
charitable  organizations  are  concerned,  as  the  order  entered  in 
any  given  case  by  the  Court  depends  entirely  upon  the  amount 
recommended  by  the  worker  making  the  complaint. 

This  same  condition  of  affairs  prevails  in  the  Municipal  and 
Criminal  Courts,  in  Abandonment  and  Contributing  Cases.  The 
amount  defendants  are  taxed  per  week,  or  the  punishment  meted 
out,  depends  almost  entirely  upon  the  facts  presented  by  the  So- 
cial Workers. 

Perhaps  no  more  helpful  law,  in  the  adjustment  of  neglect  and 
non-support  of  children,  was  ever  enacted  in  the  State  of  Illinois, 
than  the  "Contributing  Act,"  holding  persons  liable,  who  in  any 
way  aid,  abet,  connive  at  or  assist  in  the  conditions,  which  ren- 
der a  child  dependent,  neglected  or  delinquent.  While  long  be- 
fore this  Act  became  a  law,  we  were  successful  in  collecting  money 
from  delinquent  husbands  and  fathers,  the  law  makes  it  possi- 
ble to  successfully  reach  the  obdurate,  who  do  not  respond  to 
moral  suasion.  At  the  Bureau  of  Personal  Service,  we  collected 
last  year,  in  small  weekly  payments,  for  the  greater  part,  Four- 
teen Thousand  Dollars  from  men  who  had  become  neglectful  and 
indifferent  to  the  welfare  of  their  families.  Our  law  now  reaches 
a  man,  whether  he  be  living  at  home,  or  apart  from  his  family, 
and  is,  therefore,  doubly  effective.  These  cases  are,  as  a  rule,  the 
outgrowth  of  utter  lack  of  harmony  in  the  home.  Frankly  speak- 
ing, back  of  many  troubles,  along  the  domestic  difficulty  line,  is 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  179 

vice,  in  one  form  or  another,  indulged  in  by  the  head  of  the  fam- 
ily, such  as  gambling,  with  the  incident  late  hours,  and  infidelity. 
Nothing  is  left  undone  to  effect  reconciliations.  If  temporary 
separation  of  husbands  and  wives  is  advised,  or  condoned,  the 
ultimate  aim  is  ever  to  unite  the  family,  unless  there  are  ex- 
treme and  justifiable  grounds  for  reversal  of  this  rule. 

In  the  Criminal  Courts,  the  presence  of  the  Charity  Worker 
is  also  acceptable  to  the  Judges,  as  well  as  to  the  public  officials. 
The  moral  effect  of  the  presence  of  such  a  worker  is  manifestly 
evident,  a  case  assuming  an  entirely  different  aspect,  when  shorn 
of  harsh  legal  interpretation.  Among  the  hundreds  of  gross 
miscarriages  of  justice,  which  can  be  witnessed  daily,  one  case 
stands  out  forcibly,  and  is  typical  of  many  others.  This  case 
portrayed  conclusively  the  monstrous  injustice  of  the  State,  in 
its  august  majesty,  prosecuting  an  offending  citizen,  turning  all 
its  force  and  energy  to  punishment  for  crime,  while  providing 
nothing  in  its  entire  machinery  with  the  slightest  suggestion  at 
rudimentary  defense.  A  poor  man  may  be  accused  of  a  crime  of 
which  he  is  wholly  innocent.  He  may  be  apprehended  and  placed 
behind  bars.  The  prosecuting  forces,  dramatic,  emotional,  vigor- 
ously upholding,  as  they  deem  it,  the  rights  and  the  protection  of 
all  the  people,  array  themselves  against  a  forlorn,  forsaken,  pen- 
niless creature,  with  no  attempt  to  present  the  other  side  of  the 
question,  or  the  expense  of  a  single  dollar  in  behalf  of  justice 
to  the  individual.  The  case  referred  to  was  that  of  a  young  man, 
without  means,  and  without  friends,  who  was  charged  with  hav- 
ing stolen  an  overcoat,  valued  at  Twenty  Dollars,  one  cold  win- 
ter's day.  He  had  no  police  record.  There  was  nothing  in  the 
evidence  to  show  that  he  had  ever  committed  a  crime;  nor  that 
he  would  be  dangerous  to  society,  if  at  large.  He  was  the  per- 
sonification of  dejection  and  complete  human  misery.  There  was 
not  a  fellow  creature  anywhere  about  to  say  one  word  in  his  be- 
half. He  was  practically  without  defense.  The  prosecutor  in- 
sisted upon  enforcement  of  the  law,  and  thus  another  poor  crea- 
ture, like  the  hundreds  upon  hundreds  that  came  before,  and 
have  followed  since,  was  deprived  of  liberty,  was  ruthlessly  shorn 
of  his  manhood,  and  sent  to  our  State  Prison  on  an  Indeter- 


180  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

rainate  sentence.  Such  procedure  should  be  condemned,  and  it 
is  just  here,  in  similar  instances,  and  under  similar  conditions, 
that  the  voice  of  the  Social  Worker  must  be,  and  is  heard.  To 
send  a  man  to  the  penitentiary,  charged  with  a  lesser  crime,  with- 
out giving  him  the  slightest  chance  at  reformation,  is  not  only 
illogical  and  brutal,  but  it  is  a  rude  set-back  to  the  advancement  of 
a  better  society.  Had  a  representative  of  any  uplift  organization 
been  identified  with  the  case,  the  young  man  would  have  been 
saved  from  a  felon's  fate,  and  would  have  been  given  an  oppor- 
tunity at  rehabilitation  and  reform.  His  manhood  would  have 
been  conserved  and  courage  and  ambition  kept  alive.  For  it  must 
be  conceded,  if  there  is  hope  of  redemption,  such  redemption  must 
come  before,  not  after,  the  prison  doors  have  sounded  the  death 
knell  to  manhood;  not  after  the  prison  influence  has  left  its  de- 
grading, hardening  imprint. 

The  Criminal  Court  work  is  so  interwoven  with  the  work  in 
Correctional  and  Penal  Institutions,  that  the  Social  Worker,  in 
order  to  manipulate  thoroughly  and  successfully,  must  follow  the 
individual  from  the  Court  to  the  Prison;  from  Prison  to  free- 
dom, and  start  the  campaign  of  helpfulness  all  over  again. 

Particularly  significant  in  the  matter  of  protecting  the  rights 
and  the  liberty  of  individuals  against  injustice  and  intrigue,  are 
the  cases  requiring  legal  interference  on  the  part  of  Social  Work- 
ers in  the  Insane  Courts. 

The  beginning  of  this  year,  a  plan  for  systematic  protection  of 
all  poor,  helpless  insane  persons,  was  established,  with  the  co- 
operation of  the  alienist  in  charge  of  the  Detention  Hospital, 
where  patients  are  held  pending  the  hearing  of  their  cases.  We 
now  are  informed  of  every  Jewish  patient,  admitted  to  the  Hos- 
pital, or  whose  matter  is  to  be  heard  in  Court.  An  investigation 
is  then  made,  and  our  representative  is  in  Court  once  a  week, 
when  all  insane  cases  are  disposed  of,  to  make  recommendations 
in  the  interest  of  those  needing  protection.  Startling  revelations 
came  to  light  of  attempts  by  scheming  husbands  and  other  rela- 
tives, to  send  poor,  defenceless  women  to  Insane  Asylums.  Con- 
ditions here  not  only  warranted  charitable  legal  interference,  but 
we  felt  that  to  withhold  it,  would  be  brutal.  The  following  case 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  181 

is  typical  of  many  others  that  come  to  the  notice  of  charitable 
organizations  from  time  to  time: 

Mrs.  B.,  a  delicate  little  woman  of  about  fifty  years,  was 
sent  to  the  Detention  Hospital  on  a  petition  sworn  to  by  her  hus- 
band. He  charged  her  with  throwing  dishes  at  him,  giving  way 
to  uncontrollable  bursts  of  temper,  and  of  accusing  him  falsely 
with  consorting  with  women  of  questionable  character.  As  a  vic- 
tim of  such  delusional  insanity,  the  man  claimed  that  his  wife 
was  unsafe  as  a  member  of  his  family,  and  that  his  life  was  in 
jeopardy.  There  were  five  children  in  this  family,  between  the 
ages  of  twelve  and  twenty-two  years.  Each  and  every  child  firmly 
and  unflinchingly  championed  the  cause  of  the  mother,  denounc- 
ing the  father  as  brutal  and  inhuman.  The  nurse  in  charge  of 
this  patient  at  the  Detention  Hospital,  said  the  latter  was  so 
completely  covered  with  bruises  when  brought  into  the  receiving 
ward,  that  she  took  an  inventory  of  such  bruises  as  a  matter  of 
record. 

Our  investigation  of  this  case,  showed  the  woman  to  be  per- 
fectly sane,  and  that  the  eocalled  hallucinations  were  absolute 
facts.  The  man  was  an  almost  daily  frequenter  of  a  resort  in  the 
red-light  district.  He  remained  away  from  home  for  two  days 
at  a  time,  and  forced  the  support  of  the  children  virtually  upon 
the  shoulder  of  the  wife,  who  was  compelled  to  run  their  busi- 
ness. Upon  recommendation  of  our  office,  the  woman  was  re- 
leased in  our  care;  the  man  was  forced  to  leave  the  house,  and 
in  place  of  separate  maintenance,  which  could  never  have  been 
collected,  the  business  and  all  household  effects  were  turned  over 
to  the  wife.  A  few  days  after  the  hearing,  the  Judge  expressed 
his  opinion  freely,  stating  what  a  relief  and  help  it  was  to  have 
Social  Workers  in  his  court,  and  how  materially  it  helped  the 
Court  in  giving  maligned  persons  the  benefit  of  the  doubt.  He 
also  stated  that  there  were  many  cases,  where  commitment  to  an 
institution  might  be  averted,  if  kindly  disposed  persons  were  ready 
to  assume  the  responsibility  of  adjusting  domestic  and  family  diffi- 
culties, where  drastic  action  was  not  warranted  by  the  Court,  or 
where  the  Court  had  reason  to  doubt  statements  made  by  wit- 
nesses. 


182  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

In  the  name  of  justice  and  humanity,  and  in  order  to  suppress 
the  evil  features  mentioned,  we  deemed  it  vital  to  establish  the 
system  as  outlined. 

Personal  Injury  claims  are  successfully  handled,  especially  for 
persons  receiving  aid  from  the  Relief  Department,  or  for  those 
who  are  prospective  applicants,  where  the  need  for  relief  is  fore- 
stalled by  timely  legal  aid.  With  the  deplorable  team  work  of 
conscienceless  physicians  and  unscrupulous  lawyers,  known  as  am- 
bulance chasers,  at  the  bedside  of  the  injured  patients,  when  the 
first  agony  pain  is  still  upon  them,  there  is  great  need  for  repu- 
table advice  and  quick  manipulation.  The  following  case  will 
give  a  slight  idea  of  the  value  of  friendly  legal  aid  in  straight- 
ening out  the  difficulties  common  to  the  poor  in  this  class  of  com- 
plaints: A  man  of  very  slender  means,  met  with  a  street  car  ac- 
cident, was  laid  off  for  months,  and  became  involved  in  debts  of 
all  sorts  incident  to  running  a  little  home.  The  landlord  and 
tradespeople  were  pushing  him  for  settlement.  After  waiting 
in  vain  for  months,  hoping  against  hope  that  his  professional 
advisers  would  come  to  some  definite  understanding  with  the  Car 
Company,  he  grew  impatient,  settling  his  case  direct  with  the 
Company.  Thereupon  he  was  immediately  sued,  judgment  being 
rendered  against  him,  amounting  to  Three  Hundred  and  Seventy- 
five  Dollars,  which  amount  was  Seventy-five  Dollars  in  excess 
of  the  amount  of  damages  collected.  In  despair,  the  man  came 
to  the  office.  He  wanted  to  settle  his  debts  and  reimburse  the 
kind  neighbors  who  had  come  to  his  assistance,  and  through  whom 
he  was  practically  maintained  while  ill.  We  succeeded  in  having 
the  judgment  in  this  matter  satisfied  for  Fifty  Dollars,  allowing 
one-half  of  this  amount  for  medical  and  the  other  half  for  legal 
services.  The  party  sustaining  the  injury  was  not  forced  upon 
the  community  for  care  and  he  was  in  a  position  to  square  him- 
self with  his  tradespeople.  The  judgment  rendered  by  our  legal 
machinery,  was  excessive  and  entirely  out  of  proportion  to  the 
services  given. 

In  the  matter  of  wages,  the  majority  of  the  claims  are  so  small 
that  suing  is  out  of  the  question,  the  costs  and  lawyers'  fees  being 
ordinarily  greatly  in  excess  of  the  amounts  due.  The  honest  work- 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  183 

man,  doing  his  duty  by  his  employer  and  his  family,  is  entitled 
to  his  wages.  Differences  between  a  workman  and  his  foreman, 
or  another  fellow  worker,  occupying  a  superior  position,  often  re- 
sult in  the  withholding  of  wages  without  the  direct  knowledge 
of  the  member  or  members  of  a  firm.  While  these  claims  entail 
considerable  work,  they  are  entirely  reasonable  and  legitimate. 
To  aid  a  fellow  creature  in  getting  what  is  justly  his,  is  not 
charity.  It  is  an  act  of  friendly  service  to  which  any  stranger 
within  our  reach  is  entitled. 

The  ramifications  of  legal  aid  which,  properly  speaking,  is  per- 
sonal service  legalized,  are  more  far  reaching  and  complex  than 
can  possibly  be  evident  to  the  casual  observer.  The  distant  lines 
of  usefulness  to  the  needy,  and  those  of  small  means,  cover  the 
many  problems  involved  in  the  mal-adjustment  of  human  affairs 
of  the  mental  rather  than  the  physical  type. 

There  is  in  this  great  land  of  ours,  a  law  that  binds  together 
in  common  sympathy  the  people  of  all  nations,  in  every  condition 
and  walk  of  life;  a  law  that  knows  no  distinction  of  race,  creed 
or  color;  that  emphasizes  the  bond  of  universal  brotherhood,  and 
that  is  the  law  of  common  humanity,  where  heart  and  head  work 
together  for  the  good  of  all  men.  In  the  Police  Courts  particu- 
larly, where  those  of  means  and  culture  seldom  enter,  for  this 
Court  is  as  a  rule,  the  poor  man's  Court,  charitable  legal  aid  is 
vital. 

To  the  Social  Worker  every  legal  proposition,  coming  within 
her  scope,  presents  a  dual  outlook.  Prompted  by  humane  impulse, 
with  her  social  vision  pre-eminently  developed,  it  is  natural  that 
the  moral  outlook  should  appeal  to  her,  and  that  the  legal  aspect 
of  a  case,  should  be  a  secondary  consideration  only.  She  is  deep- 
ly interested  in  that  side  of  a  case,  which  conserves  the  moral 
issue,  for  the  moral  side  is  positive — it  is  vital;  while  the  legal 
side  is  more  or  less  negative  and  traditional. 

Judges  cannot,  without  embarrassment  of  their  own  initiative, 
evade  enforcement  of  the  law,  and  pose  as  exponents  of  humani- 
tarianism;  yet  they  are  human.  They  have  hearts,  and  most  of 
them  welcome  an  opportunity  to  compromse,  on  the  side  of  hu- 
manity, by  making  the  law  fit  the  case,  instead  of  the  case  the 


184  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE  SIXTH 

law.  "What  is  meat  for  one  is  poison  for  another,"  is  true  in 
law,  just  as  it  is  in  the  matter  of  physical  or  medical  relief.  Im- 
prisonment or  punishment  for  all  offenses,  is  by  no  means  a  pana- 
cea against  lawlessness.  The  Court  has  endless  opportunities,  by 
liberal  construction  of  the  law,  to  send  erring  men  and  women 
from  the  Court  room  to  better  citizenship.  Rigid,  arrogant  ad- 
herence to  the  letter  and  not  the  spirit  of  the  law,  dooms  many 
a  wrongdoer  to  everlasting  degredation — especally  if  he  be  new 
in  the  art  of  transgression.  Nice  discrimination  on  the  side  of 
common-sense  justice,  is  the  prerogative  of  every  Judge  dealing 
with  the  wayward  classes. 

I  am  happy  to  say  that  Social  Workers  in  Chicago  are  re- 
sponsible for  injecting  social  ideas,  and  a  humane  spirit,  into  the 
Police  and  Court  system,  in  place  of  the  old-time,  rigid  profes- 
sionalism. 

It  is  surely  significant,  and  a  tremendous  step  forward  towards 
counteracting  and  offsetting  the  glaring  inconsistencies  and  in- 
justices of  our  Court  system,  when  Police  official  and  Judges  con- 
fer and  co-operate  with  Social  Workers  for  the  good  of  the  in- 
dividual. It  is,  furthermore,  significant  when  these  officials  re- 
fuse to  issue  complaints  upon  advice  of  the  social  experts,  when 
special  investigations  are  solicited;  and  when  responsibility  of 
deciding  many  a  given  matter,  is  placed  squarely  on  their  shoul- 
ders. A  lawyer,  whether  criminal  or  civil,  naturally  construes  the 
law  to  the  advantage  of  his  client,,  appearing  either  negatively  or 
affirmatively,  as  the  case  may  be,  for  purely  business  reasons.  In- 
terpretations of  the  law  are  astonishingly  elastic,  stretching  read- 
ily in  the  interest  of  a  client.  This  is,  naturally,  a  matter  of 
business,  and  is  no  reflection  on  the  legal  profession.  The  Social 
Worker,  on  the  other  hand,  is  bound  to  conscience  and  the  cause. 
The  temptations  of  monetary  consideration  do  not  enter  into  any 
given  case.  It  is  quite  possible,  therefore,  for  honorable,  humane 
adjudication,  involving  the  merits  only.  One  of  the  incumbents 
of  our  Municipal  bench  gave  utterance  to  the  prevailing  sentiment 
when  he  said,  recently,  "Charitable  organizations,  such  as  we  have 
represented  in  our  Courts  today,  are  not  only  forerunners  of  the 
Courts,  but  they  are  the  left  arms  of  the  Courts  as  well,  and  their 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  185 

investigations  and  recommendations  are  important  in  helping  the 
Courts  arrive  at  conscientious,  impartial  decisions." 

The  Courts  appreciate  the  fact  that  the  Social  Workers  repre- 
sent the  community;  that  they  serve  the  community;  that  they 
do  not  enter  a  case  with  anything  to  gain  or  to  lose;  that  they 
are  disinterested;  that  they  make  thorough  investigations,  and 
after  due  consideration,  represent  the  meritorious  side  of  a  con- 
troversy, from  humanitarian  and  moral  points  of  view,  even 
though  technically  they  may  be  weak  in  their  conclusions. 

Social  service  has  done  much  to  emphasize  and  symbolize  the 
blessedness  of  Peace  between  families,  between  friends  and  be- 
tween neighbors.  Legal  Social  Service  has  brought  light  into  the 
darkness  of  rigid,  unbending,  technical  procedure,  with  its  arbi- 
trary inconsistencies  and  flagrant  injustices.  Legal  Social  Serv- 
ice has  emphasized  the  all  powerful,  all  vital  human  question, 
which  is  only  too  often  lost  in  exercise  of  arrogant,  judicial  dig- 
nity. If  the  law  be  cruel  and  unjust  towards  the  lowliest  fellow 
creature,  who  must  bend  to  its  majesty,  then  it  behooves  us,  who 
see  and  who  know,  to  so  reorganize  and  readjust  conditions  that 
the  human  equation  shall  come  first,  and  the  hard  and  fast  law 
last.  The  man  lives  and  breathes;  he  has  a  heart  and  a  soul. 
The  law  is  dead  and  soulless.  The  whole  prosecuting  machinery 
often  grows  hard  and  relentless.  It  is  the  Social  Worker,  whose 
mission  it  is,  and  shall  be,  to  make  the  law  serve  man — not  make 
man  a  slave  of  the  law.  And  when  I  say  man,  it  is  the  poor 
man — for  him  must  we  work  and  for  him  must  we  plead.  The 
rich  man  laughs  at  the  law — it  may  annoy  him  at  times,  but  his 
money  keeps  him  from  being  held  in  its  painful  clutches.  Whether 
it  be  an  evolutionary  method,  or  a  revolutionary  one,  the  duty 
of  the  Social  Worker  is  plain.  To  bring  relief  to  the  anxious 
mind  and  heart,  is  a  necessary  integral  part  of  consistent  philan- 
thropy as  a  whole. 

We  can  no  longer  be  content  to  provide  material  relief  alone. 
The  body  of  the  poor  applicant  at  our  doors,  must  be  housed 
and  fed  and  clothed,  but  cruel  is  the  charity  that  sees  not  beyond 
the  physical  man  into  his  heart,  into  his  soul — and  administers 
there  to  the  harrowing  needs.  Legal  Aid  is  personal  service  from 


186  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

start  to  finish.  With  its  far-reaching  ramifications,  it  encompasses 
bar  and  bench,  humanizing  and  adjusting  technical  legal  vision; 
it  spreads  its  mellowing  influences  into  the  departments  of  Police 
and  Prosecutor,  where  brutality  vitiates  and  stings;  it  enters  into 
the  barricaded  walls  of  officialdom,  and  leaves  its  imprint  there; 
it  brings  tolerance  into  every  avenue  where  social  duty  calls;  it 
remembers  first,  last  and  always,  that  there  is  but  one  all  power- 
ful consideration,  and  that  is  the  living,  breathing  creature  of  the 
great  human  family — the  man — the  woman — the  child. 

DISCUSSION. 

By  BERNARD  GREENSFELDER, 
ST.  LOUIS,  MO. 

The  necessity  of  legal  aid  for  the  poor  in  large  communities 
is  well  considered  by  Miss  Low  in  her  splendid  paper.  She  has 
explained  conditions  that  necessitated  the  Bureau  of  Personal 
Service  of  Chicago  interesting  itself  in  this  work.  The  officers 
of  the  Bureau  are  to  be  congratulated  upon  the  success  attained 
in  their  community,  and  their  efforts  are  worthy  of  emulation  in 
all  other  congested  districts. 

The  fact  that  co-operation  has  been  established  between  the 
municipal  authorities  and  the  workers  of  the  Bureau  is  the  best 
indication  of  their  success,  and  speaks  wonders  for  the  tact  and 
wisdom  of  its  officers. 

The  Bureau  has  evidently  proceeded  upon  the  theory  that  "an 
ounce  of  prevention  is  worth  a  pound  of  cure."  In  that  it  has 
busied  itself  in  the  affairs  of  the  disputants  before  they  become 
enmeshed  in  the  toils  of  the  law  and  the  technicalities  considered 
by  the  courts. 

This  was  only  possible  on  account  of  the  great  number  of  cases, 
and  the  large  population  in  the  congested  district,  warranting  the 
expenditure  of  the  necessary  funds  with  which  to  secure  the  workers 
to  conduct  its  affairs. 

By  this  allusion  I  do  not  mean  to  detract  from  the  importance 
or  necessity  of  the  work  as  carried  on  in  Chicago,  but  I  do  want 
to  convey  the  idea  that  such  good  and  efficient  work  cannot  be 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  187 

carried  on  by  volunteers  alone,  the  reason  being  that  the  time  of 
those  engaged  in  this  work  is  entirely  consumed  in  attending  to 
the  wants  of  those  who  are  being  benefited  by  the  efforts  of  the 
Bureau,  and  there  are  but  few  men  in  the  profession  who  do  not 
have  to  work  for  personal  maintenance. 

I  therefore  maintain,  in  the  first  place,  that  a  paid  worker,  or 
one  who  can  give  up  his  entire  time  without  compensation,  is 
necessary  in  order  to  follow  in  the  successful  footsteps  of  Chicago. 

In  the  second  place,  the  large  population  of  both  jSTew  York 
and  Chicago  justify  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  a 
legal  aid  bureau  on  the  scale  as  carried  out  in  these  communities, 
which  expenditure  would  not  be  warranted  by  the  needs  of  smaller 
cities. 

The  legal  aid  bureau  is  a  necessity  in  every  community,  the 
same  as  any  other  relief  agency,  but  we  must  all  realize  the  fact 
that  the  most  effective  work  can  only  be  done  where  it  is  system- 
atized and  paid  for.  Another  cause  for  the  success  of  the  Bureau 
is  the  fact  that  Illinois  is  one  of  the  first  States  of  the  Union  to 
legislate  for  the  improvement  of  the  conditions  of  the  poor  and 
unfortunate,  and  for  the  elevation  of  the  standards  of  all  its 
citizens.  Only  recently,  I  believe,  has  its  highest  tribunal  sus- 
tained the  constitutionality  of  the  law  limiting  the  hours  of  labor 
among  women. 

The  "Contributing  Act,"  referred  to  by  Miss  Low,  is  certainly 
an  advanced  step  in  the  matter  of  adopting  legislation  whereby 
the  husband  and  father  is  compelled  to  perform  the  duties  originally 
his  by  choice,  but  too  often  neglected  after  becoming  the  head  of 
a  family. 

It  is  with  great  interest  that  we  follow  the  success  of  the  Chicago 
Bureau  of  Personal  Service.  I  wish  we  could  all  pattern  our 
work  and  efforts  after  this  institution.  It  is  a  fact,  however,  that 
conditions  in  Chicago — the  large  population  in  congested  dis- 
tricts, the  systematic  efforts  of  the  paid  worker,  the  necessary 
legislation  and  the  splendid  machinery  of  the  Courts,  including 
the  new  Municipal  Court — all  furnish  the  fertile  soil  from  which 
the  harvest  is  garnered. 


188  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE  SIXTH 

The  several  large  charitable  associations  of  St.  Louis  have  Legal 
Aid  Bureaus,  but  the  work  is  all  done  by  volunteers,  and  without 
any  attempt  at  organization.  It  seems,  too,  that  there  is  not  as 
much  strife  in  our  midst  among  the  poor  as  there  is  in  the  larger 
towns,  principally,  as  I  believe,  for  the  reason  that  our  housing 
conditions  are  better,  and  that  our  people  do  not  live  in  such 
congested  quarters. 

It  cannot  be  disputed  that  when  a  great  many  people  are  com- 
pelled to  live  in  close  quarters  there  is  bound  to  be  trouble  between 
the  occupants  thereof. 

The  general  character  of  our  work,  with,  however,  the  above- 
mentioned  exception,  does  not  differ  from  that  of  any  other  com- 
munity. 

The  Legal  Aid  Society  of  the  Jewish  Charities  of  St.  Louis  was 
organized  October  15,  1906.  Since  then  it  has  been  running  system- 
atically for  nine  months  each  year,  having  eight  attorneys  in  charge, 
two  for  each  of  the  first  four  evenings  of  the  week.  Since  then  we 
have  handled  over  2,000  cases.  The  nature  of  the  cases  handled 
were  as  follows: 

Domestic  troubles,  requests  for  collection  of  wages,  ejectment 
suits,  petty  quarrels  among  neighbors  and  desertion  cases. 

The  object  of  the  Bureau  is  primarily  to  help  those  persons  who 
are  being  imposed  upon  without  really  knowing  the  extent  of  their 
rights.  Instead  of  petty  affairs  being  carried  into  court,  the 
Bureau  makes  an  effort  to  settle  them  in  the  office.  It  has 
also  for  its  object  a  desire  to  decrease  litigation  and  strife,  trickery 
and  crime,  infidelity  and  divorce,  and  encourage  among  the  clients 
a  mutual  recognition  of  and  regard  for  each  other's  rights,  and  a 
desire  for  peaceful  adjustment  of  matters  which  are  often  pecuniary 
in  character. 

Approximately  of  the  2,000  cases  that  were  handled  35%  were 
collection  of  wages,  30%  domestic  quarrels  and  desertions,  15% 
landlord  and  tenant  troubles  and  10%  petty  and  neighborhood 
quarrels  and  10%  other  reasons. 

My  sole  purpose  in  bringing  out  the  above  reference  to  Miss 
Low's  report  is  to  establish  the  necessity  of  securing  the  necessary 
legislation  in  every  State,  to  bring  about  the  creation  of  law 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  189 

bureaus  or  legal  aid  dispensaries  to  be  maintained  and  operated 
by  the  proper  State  or  municipal  authorities,  to  which  shall  be 
referred  all  the  complaints  of  those  who  cannot  afford  to  pay  for 
legal  advice. 

The  fact  that  the  Juvenile  Courts  have  been  so  successful  in 
the  handling  of  minors  is  my  warrant  and  reason  for  believing 
that  the  law  bureaus  or  legal  aid  dispensaries  under  State  or 
municipal  control  can  do  as  much  for  the  elders  in  settling  their 
controversies. 

I  believe  that  conditions  will  shape  themselves  along  this  line. 

The  Legislature  of  Colorado,  at  is  last  session,  passed  an  act 
authorizing  the  students  of  law  schools  maintaining  legal  aid 
dispensaries  to  appear  in  court  and  represent  litigants. 

Of  course,  the  policy  of  this  class  of  legislation  has  been  ques- 
tioned, but  it  is  believed  that  under  a  proper  supervision  and  with 
the  right  parties  in  charge  that  great  good  would  come  therefrom. 

The  city  of  Nuremberg  has  established  a  municipal  bureau  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  free  information  and  advice  to  citizens  of 
small  means  who  may  feel  that  their  rights  and  privileges  are 
encroached  upon.  The  bureau  consists  of  the  mayor  and  assistant 
mayor,  ten  legal  councilors  and  twenty  civil  councilors,  who  appoint 
a  committee  of  administration,  a  referee,  and  a  bureau  chief.  The 
information  to  be  furnished  will  be  upon  questions  relating  to 
insurance;  the  rights  of  employer  and  employe;  police,  military, 
school  and  pauper  regulations;  taxation,  citizenship  and  the  juris- 
diction of  courts  dealing  with  punishable  offenses.  The  chief  of 
the  bureau  is  required  to  give  his  good  offices  to  bring  about  an 
agreement  out  of  court  if  possible,  but  is  enjoined  from  acting 
as  attorney  or  bringing  pressure  of  any  sort  upon  either  party.  All 
officials  of  the  bureau  are  forbidden  to  receive  any  fee,  gratuity 
or  gift,  or  to  give  any  information  or  advice  in  cases  where  an 
attorney  has  already  been  engaged. 

The  New  York  Legislature,  some  months  ago,  appointed  what  is 
known  as  the  Page  Commission,  to  investigate  courts  of  inferior 
jurisdiction  in  cities  of  the  first  class.  The  members  of  this  com- 
mission have  gone  into  the  subject  quite  thoroughly,  and  if  their 
recommendations  are  approved  of  the  inferior  courts  in  the  city 


190  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

of  New  York  will  be  conducted  on  a  much  better  basis  than  under 
the  present  system. 

In  order  to  protect  the  poor  and  ignorant  from  the  lawyers 
who  have  infested  these  courts,  the  assignment  is  recommended 
to  each  court  of  a  deputy  assistant  attorney  to  examine  complaints, 
advise  the  prisoner  whether  a  lawyer  is  necessary,  or,  if  desirable, 
move  the  dismissal  of  a  case.  The  commission  also  recommends 
the  establishment  of  a  court  of  domestic  relation  for  the  trial  of 
cases  of  non-support  by  husband,  parent  or  child. 

From  the  cases  cited,  one  can  readily  see  the  trend  toward 
adopting  other  methods  in  the  matter  of  assisting  the  poor  in  their 
legal  difficulties.  It  is  only  a  question  of  what  is  the  best  method 
to  be  pursued,  and  as  the  subject  of  legal  aid  is  comparatively  new, 
and  social  reforms  are  effected  slowly,  it  will  take  some  time  until 
the  correct  system  is  found  and  adopted. 

To  my  mind,  this  subject  of  legal  aid  is  simply  another  sub- 
division of  philanthropy,  which  will  eventually  come  under  the 
control  of  the  State  or  municipality.  The  social  worker  is  like  a 
chemist  in  the  laboratory,  discovering  new  diseases  in  the  body 
politic  and  finding  the  remedy  therefor,  all  of  which,  or  the  ma- 
jority thereof,  should  properly  come  under  State  control. 

The  few  who  give  their  time,  energy  and  means  toward  alleviat- 
ing the  suffering  and  distress  of  the  poor  should  not  be  taxed  to 
their  utmost,  so  the  public,  through  taxation,  should  be  made  to 
assume  its  share  of  the  responsibility.  Of  course,  a  great  deal  is 
to  be  said  on  both  sides  of  this  proposition,  yet,  when  you  con- 
sider the  fact  that  cities  have  taken  over  the  subject  of  public 
playgrounds,  baths,  legislated  in  reference  to  tenement-house  con- 
ditions, as  to  the  hours  of  labor  for  women  and  children,  adopted 
manual  training  and  established  kindergartens  in  connection  with 
the  public  school  system,  all  of  which  reforms  or  ideas  were 
originally  suggested  by  the  social  worker,  it  is  only  a  step  further 
to  take  up  the  idea  of  public  legal  aid  dispensaries,  and  any  other 
new  line  of  philanthropic  work  which  can  be  carried  on  through 
public  channels  as  well  as  through  private  sources.  Some  of  the 
States  now  contribute  toward  the  support  of  the  orphan,  aged  and 
sick  in  private  institutions.  The  whole  matter  is  but  a  question 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF  JEWISH    CHARITIES.  191 

of  education,  and,  as  the  public  at  large  comes  to  realize  its  duties, 
and  the  different  features  and  branches  of  philanthropy  are  brought 
properly  to  its  attention,  we  need  not  fear  but  what  the  American 
people  will  do  their  share  toward  making  the  lot  of  the  unfortunate 
as  easy  as  possible. 

I,  therefore,  believe  it  to  be  our  purpose  and  duty  to  conduct 
legal  aid  societies  in  such  a  way,  whether  through  public  or  private 
channels,   as   to  give   the   poor   man   in  all   his   difficulties,   and 
especially  when  he  comes  into  court,  a  "square  deal." 
DISCUSSION— (Continued). 
By  MAX  B.  MAY, 

CINCINNATI,  OHIO. 

Everyone  interested  in  the  subject  of  legal  aid  must  be  very 
grateful  for  the  clear  and  comprehensive  exposition  that  Miss  Low 
(has  given  us  of  this  important  factor  in  social  work.  Nowhere 
has  this  subject  received  more  careful  treatment,  and  all  persons  in- 
terested in  this  phase  of  charity  work  will  be  greatly  helped  by  a 
careful  study  of  the  methods  suggested  by  Miss  Low.  Of  course,  Miss 
Low  would  not  expect  a  member  of  the  bar  to  agree  with  her  in 
every  particular,  and  it  might  be  grounds  for  disbarment,  though  I 
am  not  quite  sure  about  this,  if  a  lawyer  were  to  approve  and 
applaud  her  criticism  of  the  bench  and  of  legal  administration. 
There  is  no  question  at  all  but  that  too  much  technicality  has 
grown  up  in  the  system  of  administration  of  justice  in  our  courts, 
but  the  remedy  for  this  evil  is  with  the  bar  itself,  and  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether  criticisms  on  the  part  of  lay  bodies  will  have  any 
influence  for  good  in  this  direction. 

The  greatest  difficulty  that  the  worker  in  the  department  of 
legal  aid  encounters  is  due  not  so  much  to  the  ignorance  of  the 
unfortunate  litigant,  as  to  his  prejudice  of  the  legal  profession, 
and  more  especially  the  suspicion  that  he  has  of  anyone  who  gives 
him  advice  directly  contrary  to  that  given  him  by  his  neighbors 
and  avaricious  relatives.  This  is  especially  evident  in  cases  of 
personal  injury.  A  young  boy  has  his  hand  or  arm  injured  either 
through  his  own  negligence  or  on  account  of  the  negligence  of 
some  fellow-servant;  unfortunately,  there  is  in  force  no  employer's 
liability  law,  and  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  in  which  the 


192  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE  SIXTH 

injury  has  occurred  has  laid  down  the  doctrine  of  contributory 
negligence  and  the  fellow-servant  rule.  The  employer  carries 
liability  insurance,  and  the  attorneys  for  the  insurance  company 
collect  all  the  evidence  in  the  case  and  submit  it  to  the  attorney 
for  the  unfortunate  injured  party.  Upon  careful  examination,  the 
attorney  necessarily  must  come  to  the  conclusion  that  if  an  action 
is  begun,  and  drags  its  course  over  a  period  of  a  few  years,  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  State  will  probably  ultimately  hold  against 
the  injured  party,  and  would  set  aside  any  verdict  that  a  sympa- 
thetic jury  might  give  him.  The  insurance  company  is  willing, 
in  order  to  avoid  unnecessary  litigation,  to  pay  a  small  amount 
not  in  any  way  compensatory  for  the  damage  done.  What  should 
be  the  duty  of  the  lawyer  in  charge  of  this  case?  Surely  there 
is  but  one  course  to  pursue,  and  that  is  to  advise  accepting  the 
present  payment  of  a  small  amount,  rather  than  proceed  with 
litigation,  that  in  the  end  must  result  disastrously  to  the  injured 
party.  When  this  advice  is  given,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  the 
attorney  in  charge  of  this  case  is  accused  of  selling  out  his  client's 
rights.  The  client  thinks  this  because  his  neighbors,  none  of 
whom  have  had  any  experience  in  matters  of  this  kind,  tell  the 
injured  party  that  A,  B  and  C,  who  at  different  times  were  in- 
jured, recovered  large  sums  of  money,  but  they  do  not  tell  the  in- 
jured party  the  circumstances  of  the  cases  that  enabled  A,  B  and 
C  to  recover.  Within  the  past  year  three  cases  in  which  I  advised 
settlements  and  refused  to  begin  actions  when  the  settlements  were 
declined  have  been  thrown  out  of  court,  the  actions  being  brought 
by  other  lawyers,  who  were  willing  to  risk  litigating  for  the  chance 
of  large  recoveries.  Just  how  this  evil  is  to  be  overcome  it  is 
difficult  to  say,  and  it  seems  quite  probable  that  as  long  as  human 
nature  remains  as  it  is  the  day  probably  will  never  dawn  when 
the  lawyer  will  not  be  viewed  with  suspicion  by  those  who  come  to 
him  for  free  advice,  if  ever  by  those  who  pay  for  his  advice. 

The  Legislature  of  Ohio,  at  its  session  that  has  just  adjourned, 
has  enacted  an  Employer's  Liability  Law,  by  the  provisions  of 
which  many  injured  persons  will  hereafter  be  enabled  to  recover 
damages.  The  principal  features  of  the  bill  consist  in  the  abolition 
of  the  strict  rule  of  negligence  of  fellow-servant  and  assumption 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  193 

of  risk.  Hereafter  any  person  in  the  employ  of  such  employer 
in  any  way  having  charge  or  control  of  any  employes  in  any 
separate  branch  or  department,  shall  be  held  to  be  the  superior,  not 
the  fellow-servant  of  all  employes  in  any  other  branch  or  depart- 
ment in  which  they  are  employed;  any  person  in  the  employ  of 
such  employer,  whose  duty  it  is  to  repair,  or  inspect  machinery, 
appliances  or  tools  in  any  way  connected  with,  or  in  any  way  used 
in  the  business  of  the  employer,  or  to  receive,  give  or  transmit  any 
instructions  or  warning  to  or  for  such  employes,  shall  be  held 
to  be  the  superior  and  not  the  fellow-servant,  and  wherever  an 
accident  has  occurred  by  reason  of  a  defect  or  unsafe  condition 
of  any  machinery  or  appliances,  the  employer  shall  be  deemed  to 
have  had  knowledge  of  such  defect.  When  the  fact  of  such  defect 
shall  be  made  to  appear  upon  the  trial  of  an  action,  the  same  shall 
be  prima  facie  evidence  of  negligence  on  the  part  of  such  employer ; 
but  the  employer  may  show  by  way  of  defense  that  such  defect 
was  not  discoverable  in  the  exercise  of  ordinary  care.  In  actions 
for  injuries  the  negligence  of  a  fellow-servant  of  an  employe  shall 
not  be  a  defense  where  the  injury  was  in  any  way  caused  or  con- 
tributed to  by  the  defective  or  unsafe  condition  of  the  machinery 
or  appliances,  or  the  negligence  of  any  superintendent,  manager, 
foreman,  or  of  any  persons  in  any  way  having  charge  or  control 
of  the  machinery  or  tools,  or  the  negligence  of  any  persons  to  whose 
order  the  employe  was  bound  to  conform. 

In  actions  of  this  kind,  whenever  it  shall  appear  that  the  in- 
jury was  caused  by  the  neglect  of  the  employer  to  properly  furnish, 
guard,  report,  inspect  or  protect  the  machinery  and  appliances  used 
in  the  business,  in  the  manner  required  by  statute,  and  any  de- 
fective or  unsafe  condition  of  such  machinery  or  appliances,  the 
fact  that  such  employe  continued  in  the  employment  with  the 
knowledge  of  such  negligent  omission,  or  want  of  care,  or  defective 
or  unsafe  condition  of  the  machinery,  shall  not  be  a  defense,  unless 
by  the  terms  of  his  employment  it  was  expressly  provided  and 
made  the  duty  of  such  employe  to  report  such  neglect  or  defective 
or  unsafe  condition. 

The  strict  rule  of  contributory  negligence  was  also  abolished, 
and  hereafter,  in  actions  for  injury,  the  fact  that  the  employe 


194  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

may  have  been  guilty  of  contributory  negligence  shall  not  bar  the 
recovery  where  his  contributory  negligence  is  slight  and  the 
negligence  of  the  employer  is  gross  .in  comparison;  but  the 
damages  shall  be  diminished  by  the  jury  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  of  negligence  attributed  to  such  employe.  This  law  leaves 
the  question  of  contributory  negligence  and  assumption  of  risk  to 
the  jury  under  proper  instructions  of  the  court. 

In  Cincinnati  it  has  not  been  very  difficult  to  conduct  the  legal 
aid  department  of  the  United  Jewish  Charities.  The  method  pur- 
sued has  been  very  simple.  The  superintendent  of  the  United 
Jewish  Charities  immediately  refers  every  case  involving  any  kind 
of  legal  question  to  the  legal  aid  department,  and  that  department 
immediately  begins  an  investigation  and  gives  the  necessary  advice. 
In  Cincinnati,  of  course,  there  are  not  as  many  cases  (or  as  com- 
plex cases)  as  in  a  city  like  New  York  and  Chicago,  but  the  legal 
aid  department  of  the  United  Jewish  Charities  has  had  many  kinds 
of  cases  under  consideration,  and  since  the  department  was  or- 
ganized it  has  benefited  the  general  administration  of  the  Charities. 
This  department,  in  addition  to  attending  to  all  active  litigation, 
advises  the  Charities  in  all  legal  matters — prepares  the  necessary 
affidavits  for  the  free  entry  of  baggage  brought  by  the  immigrants ; 
prepares  the  necessary  papers  for  the  tracing  of  baggage  that  is 
lost  in  transit,  and  all  affidavits  for  the  necessary  admission  of 
immigrants  who  are  detained  at  Ellis  Island  and  other  points  of 
entry,  until  their  relatives  produce  the  necessary  guarantee  that 
they  will  support  such  immigrants. 

In  many  cities  the  legal  aid  departments  have  certain  office  hours, 
especially  at  night,  when  persons  can  come  with  their  grievances. 
In  Cincinnati,  however,  it  has  not  been  necessary  to  follow  such  a 
plan,  and  in  fact  I  believe  that  it  is  unwise  in  many  respects  to 
do  so,  because  it  merely  fosters  unnecessary  litigation.  It  is  need- 
less to  dwell  at  length  upon  this  phase  of  the  subject,  for  everyone 
can  readily  see  that  if  persons  are  informed  that  they  have  the  law 
with  them  in  certain  matters  they  will  be  most  anxious  to  invoke 
the  familiar  phrase  "I  will  have  the  law  on  you."  There  have 
been  many  cases  where  there  have  been  technical  violations  of  the 
rights  of  people,  but  to  go  to  law  in  every  such  case  would  not  only 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  195 

involve  useless  expense  and  be  a  waste  of  time  of  the  department 
and  of  the  client,  but  the  result  of  the  litigation,  even  if  favorable, 
would  be  of  very  little  practical  value,  and  I  am  quite  sure  that 
unless  the  legal  aid  department  has  at  the  head  of  it  a  very  strong 
personality,  which  exercises  influence,  which  a  person  like  Miss  Low 
can  and  does  exercise,  it  is  much  more  harmful  to  have  the  depart- 
ment within  easy  access  of  prospective  litigants.  Whenever  persons 
needing  legal  advice  find  it  impossible  to  come  to  the  office  of 
the  legal  aid  department  during  the  day  arrangements  have  been 
made  to  meet  such  persons  at  the  settlement  building  at  night. 

Nor  has  it  been  necessary  in  Cincinnati  to  pay  particular  atten- 
tion to  the  legal  work  in  connection  with  the  Juvenile  Court.  The 
superintendent  of  the  Charities,  together  with  the  probation  officers 
under  him,  have  been  able  to  look  after  the  work  in  this  court, 
and  whenever,  in  their  opinion,  advice  of  counsel  was  needed,  of 
course,  the  legal  aid  department  gave  such  advice,  and  attended 
the  hearing  in  person. 

In  Cincinnati  the  office  of  the  police  clerk,  where  warrants  are 
issued  for  arrests,  has  rendered  every  assistance  possible  to  the 
Charities  and  has  made  it  a  rule  not  to  issue  warrants  for  frivolous 
causes,  and  in  the  police  court  the  legal  aid  department  has  always 
received  courteous  treatment,  and  there  is  a  harmonious  working 
between  the  Charities  and  the  police  department.  Under  our  law 
the  Ohio  Humane  Society  is  able  to  render  great  assistance  in  cases 
of  abandonment  and  non-support,  and  the  legal  aid  department 
has  been  able  to  co-operate  with  this  society  in  its  excellent  work. 
I  believe  that  it  is  much  better  that  the  police  department  should 
pass  upon  the  necessity  of  the  issuance  of  warrants,  rather  than 
refer  complaints  to  the  legal  aid  department  or  bureau  of  personal 
service.  If  the  latter  practice  is  followed  it  will  result  in  turning 
the  department  or  bureau  into  a  court,  and  necessitate  that  depart- 
ment at  once  taking  active  sides  in  a  controversy.  Thus,  if  by 
some  chance  a  meritorious  case  is  turned  down  it  would  tend  to 
lessen  the  influence  that  the  department  or  bureau  would  have. 
Of  course,  I  am  giving  the  result  of  experience  in  a  city  like 
Cincinnati,  and  it  is  quite  possible  that  a  different  condition  of 
affairs  might  necessitate  the  course  as  outlined  in  the  paper  of 
Miss  Low. 


196  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

I  cannot,  however,  agree  with  Miss  Low  in  her  conclusion  re- 
garding the  duty  of  the  legal  aid  department  where  unfortunate 
persons  have  violated  ordinances  regarding  peddlers,  etc.  If  such 
ordinance  works  a  hardship  it  should  be  the  duty  of  the  charitable 
organizations  to  have  it  modified,  and  if  it  cannot  be  modified  it 
should  be  the  duty  of  the  society  to  advance  the  money  to  pay  such 
license,  but  I  cannot  conceive  of  any  conditions  of  affairs  that 
would  justify  the  violation  of  any  ordinance,  no  matter  how  severe 
its  provisions. 

The  legal  aid  department  of  the  charities  has  also  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  the  question  of  naturalization  of  citizens.  This  excellent 
work  is  under  the  immediate  charge  of  the  Jewish  settlement, 
which  is  a  part  of  the  United  Jewish  Charities  of  Cincinnati,  and 
is  conducted  by  some  young  lawyers  who  prepare  the  necessary 
papers  and  conduct  classes  in  which  the  constitutions  of  the  country 
and  of  the  State  are  studied,  and  I  would  suggest  that  the  legal 
aid  department  in  other  cities,  if  they  have  not  already  done  so, 
should  suggest  to  the  settlement  in  their  respective  cities  to  do 
similiar  work. 

During  the  past  year  the  legal  aid  department  of  the  United 
Jewish  Charities  has  had  before  it  cases  of  divorce,  bigamy,  eject- 
ment, forcible  entry  and  detainer,  innumerable  personal  injury 
cases,  cases  of  disorderly  conduct  in  the  police  court,  false  pretenses, 
recovery  of  money  advanced  to  parties,  who,  it  was  afterwards 
learned,  were  well  able  to  pay;  securing  alimony  for  persons  who 
had  been  divorced;  where  service  was  had  by  publication,  and 
bastardy  cases. 

Quite  recently  the  legal  aid  department  has  appeared  to  uphold 
the  validity  of  the  new  tenement-house  ordinance,  which  was 
adopted  within  the  past  year. 

Legal  aid  is  undoubtedly  a  necessary  part  of  modern  charity 
work,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  in  all  large  cities  effort  should 
be  made  to  organize  in  connection  with  the  charities  such  depart- 
ment. If  in  every  city  there  could  be  found  as  efficient  people  as 
Miss  Low  to  head  these  departments  much  good  would  be  accom- 
plished and  much  evil  averted. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  197 

DISCUSSION—  (Continued). 

By  MAX  HERZBERG- 
President  United  Hebrew   Charities, 

PHILADELPHIA,    PA. 

I  think  the  paper  of  Miss  Low  has  amply  justified  the  necessity 
for  the  erection  and  existence  of  a  Legal  Aid  Bureau  in  every 
large  community.  Such  a  Bureau  is  of  as  much  importance  in 
the  work  of  social  service  as  a  medical  dispensary.  Like  the 
medical  dispensary,  however,  its  operations  ought  to  be  limited 
and  restricted  to  such  persons  as  actually  stand  in  need  of  its 
ministrations.  A  dispensary  is  overburdened  with  malingerers,  and 
a  Legal  Aid  Bureau  is  apt  to  be  bothered  with  persons  having 
imaginary  or  trivial  complaints,  and  who  only  apply  because  advice 
is  free.  In  a  large  community  there  must  be  many  people  who 
need  competent  legal  advice  and  are  unable  to  pay  for  the  same, 
but  the  operations  of  a  bureau  should  be  restricted  to  cases  of 
domestic  relations  and  certain  classes  of  contracts,  mostly  those 
involving  wage  claims.  I  think  it  would  be  a  mistake  for  a  bureau 
to  interfere  in  criminal  actions  or  in  negligence  cases.  One  of 
the  best  results  that  the  bureau  in  Chicago  has  accomplished  is 
purely  negative — that  is,  discouraging  litigation.  Those  of  us 
who  practice  law  in  large  communities  know  how  persistently  the 
recently  arrived  immigrants  will  haunt  our  police  courts.  It  may 
be  that  they  have  so  long  been  denied  justice  in  the  courts  of 
Russia  and  Eastern  Europe  that  they  overestimate  its  value  when 
they  come  here  and  eagerly  seek  it  in  our  courts.  The  Jew  is 
tenacious,  he  insists  upon  his  rights,  he  usually  wants  everything 
that  belongs  to  him,  and,  unfortunately,  he  unduly  manifests  that 
characteristic  in  the  criminal  courts.  In  the  large  cities  these 
courts  are  crowded  with  innumerable  petty  cases,  principally  assault 
and  battery,  cases  that  should  have  been  settled  in  the  minor 
police  courts  by  the  infliction  of  fines.  In  communities  where 
officials  are  paid  by  fees  we  very  frequently  find  that  they  encourage 
and  foster  litigation  amongst  £he  immigrants.  Those  living  in 
crowded  tenements  in  the  congested  sections  of  the  cities  are 
very  likely  to  have  trivial  quarrels  with  their  neighbors,  and  redress 
is  sought  immediately  from  the  magistrate.  Charges  of  assault 


198  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

and  battery  are  made,  counter  charges  entered,  and  from  these 
will  grow  conspiracy,  perjury  and  various  other  charges.  All  the 
machinery  of  justice  is  invoked  in  cases  which  ought  never  to  get 
past  a  magistrate's  office.  It  is  in  the  work  of  discouraging  such 
litigation  that  a  Legal  Aid  Bureau  could  render  effective  assistance. 
It  is  more  important  to  keep  people  out  of  court  than  to  encourage 
or  assist  them  in  the  prosecution  or  defense  of  what  are  mostly 
trivial  cases.  It  is  very  frequently  the  best  advice  and  the  best 
assistance  to  induce  an  applicant  to  abandon  what  may  be  a  just 
claim  involving  a  small  amount. 

MRS.  HENRY  SOLOMON,  Chicago:  I  just  wish  to  say  a  word 
about  the  experiences  in  our  Legal  Aid  work — experiences  which 
would  bear  out  Miss  Low's  statements.  The  men  in  the  district 
of  the  Bureau  are  far  more  afraid  of  the  representatives  of  our 
Society  than  they  are  the  magistrate,  for  they  know  positively 
that  their  offenses  will  not  be  condoned,  and  that  our  influence  and 
work  are  not  to  be  easily  overcome.  We  certainly  take  sides, 
though  we  act  as  a  court,  and  we  can  point  to  our  records  to  show 
that  we  never  lost  a  case.  We  can  do  work  which  lawyers  could 
not  in  the  ordinary  channels  of  litigation. 

One  fact  must  not  be  overlooked — that  matters  for  adjustment 
are  often  brought,  which,  by  arranging  directly  with  the  judge,  can 
be  kept  out  of  court  altogether.  For  the  judges  listen  carefully  to 
representatives  of  the  poor,  who  have  nothing  at  stake  of  personal 
interest,  and  many  times  cases  that  come  up  in  court  are  referred 
to  us  for  settlement.  A  great  deal  of  litigation  is  avoided.  The 
amount  of  money  which  can  be  saved  the  charities,  by  collecting 
for  families  who  would  otherwise  be  upon  the  relief  books,  is 
triple  the  amount  such  a  Bureau  costs. 

VICE-PRESIDENT  MARKS:  We  shall  now  hear  from  Miss  Low 
in  rebuttal. 

Miss  Low :  I  have  nothing  further  of  importance  to  say  on  the 
subject  of  "Legal  Aid,"  but  want  to  refer  for  a  moment  to  the 
question  of  desertion,  discussed  this  morning.  Ten  years  ago  we 
discussed  this  question  at  the  National  Conference  of  Jewish  Chari- 
ties in  Chicago,  and  today  we  are  still  talking  about  it.  Upon 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  199 

retrospection,  what  have  we  done  to  suppress  this  ever-growing 
evil?  We  are  about  to  present  a  resolution  this  evening,  which 
we  hope  will  be  the  means  of  stirring  social  workers  to  action. 
We  advise  that  a  permanent  committee  on  desertion  be  appointed 
by  the  National  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities,  and  that  the 
National  Conference  of  Charities  and  Corrections  be  asked  to 
appoint  a  similar  committee,  and  that  the  two  Conferences  work 
jointly  in  doing  something  definite. 

If  every  State  in  the  Union  would  work  upon  a  similar  plan 
simultaneously,  by  getting  such  interests  together  as  the  Governors, 
the  prominent  prosecutors  and  police  officials,  the  judges  and  the 
social  workers,  and  agree  upon  some  definite  plan  of  procedure, 
results  would  doubtless  follow.  In  order  to  have  the  means 
with  which  to  extradite,  we  must  have  the  sympathy  and  support 
of  our  executive  officers;  for  the  legal  manipulation  we  need  the 
prosecutors  and  police  officials;  to  create  the  proper  sentiment 
among  the  people,  and  insure  necessary  care  and  relief  of  those 
rendered  dependent,  we  need  the  social  workers.  Furthermore,  we 
need  the  men  on  the  bench,  for  without  them  and  their  co-operation 
our  efforts  would  be  practically  in  vain.  In  Chicago  we  have  no 
more  helpful,  no  more  co-operative  or  humanitarian  body  than 
the  men  on  the  bench.  After  getting  the  various  bodies  mentioned 
interested,  each  State  ought  to  call  a  convention  within  its  borders, 
study  its  own  problem,  and  confer  with  all  other  States  for  con- 
certed action.  We  all,  I  am  sure,  believe  in  the  dynamic  force  of 
concerted  action,  and  it  is  only  by  uniting  and  making  desertion 
a  national  issue  that  we  will  ever  accomplish  anything  worth 
while. 

BUSINESS  SESSION. 

VICE-PRESIDENT  MARKS  :  We  will  now  have  a  report  from  the 
Treasurer.  (For  report  see  page  298.) 

VICE-PRESIDENT  MARKS:  You  have  heard  the  report  of  the 
Treasurer.  If  there  be  no  objections,  the  same  will  be  received 
and  made  a  part  of  the  record. 

Now  the  Committee  on  Kesolutions. 


200  PROCEEDINGS   OP   THE   SIXTH 

MR.  MAX  HERZBERO,  Chairman  of  Committee:  Mr.  Chairman, 
the  Committee  on  Resolutions  begs  leave  to  present  a  number  of 
resolutions,  and  ask  that  they  be  acted  upon  seriatim.  I  present 
the  following: 

Resolved,  That  the  National  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities  in 
the  United  States,  at  its  biennial  session,  held  in  the  city  of  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  on  May  18,  1910,  endorse  the  provisions  of  the  Owen 
Bill  for  the  establishment  of  a  National  Bureau  of  Health,  and 
urge  upon  the  respective  members  of  Congress  to  vote  for  the 
passage  of  the  bill;  and  be  it  further 

Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  of  the  Conference  bt  authorized 
to  communicate  with  the  committee  having  the  bill  in  charge,  in- 
forming it  of  this  action. 

VICE-PRESIDENT  MARKS:  The  question  is  upon  the  adoption 
of  the  resolution. 

It  was  then  duly  moved  and  seconded  that  the  resolution  be 
adopted. 

The  question  was  then  put  by  Vice-President  Marks,  and  the 
motion  to  adopt  the  resolution  announced  carried. 

WHEREAS,  Numerous  appeals  are  being  constantly  made  to  the 
Jews  of  the  United  States  in  behalf  of  charitable  institutions  in 
Jerusalem,  and  there  is  no  available  information  as  to  whether 
such  institutions  are  worthy  of  assistance,  and  it  has  been  asserted 
that  many  of  said  appeals  are  fraudulent; 

Resolved,  That  the  Executive  Committee  be  authorized  to  cause 
an  investigation  to  be  made  as  to  the  needs  and  requirements  of 
such  institutions,  the  financial  support  that  they  receive,  the  ex- 
penses of  such  appeals  and  returns  thereto,  and  such  other  data 
from  which  a  proper  estimate  can  be  made  with  authority  to  pay 
for  the  necessary  costs  of  such  investigation,  and  to  publish  a  sum- 
mary thereof  with  such  recommendations  as  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee may  deem  proper. 

VICE-PRESIDENT  MARKS:  The  question  is  upon  the  adoption 
of  the  resolution. 

It  was  moved  and  seconded  that  the  resolution  be  adopted. 
Motion  put  and  carried. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  201 

WHEREAS,  Industrial  accidents  are  a  large  contributing  cause 
of  distress  among  the  Jewish  poor,  of  whom  a  very  large  propor- 
tion are  engaged  in  manual  labor; 

Resolved,  That  this  Conference  urge  its  constituent  societies 
to  promote,  so  far  as  they  are  able,  the  passage  of  laws  for  the 
compulsory  payment  of  damages  resulting  from  industrial  acci- 
dents, eliminating  the  defenses  of  contributory  negligence  or  the 
negligence  of  fellow-servants. 

It  was  duly  moved  and  seconded  that  the  resolution  be  adopted. 

Motion  put  and  carried. 

The  admirable  paper  of  Dr.  Waldman  has  demonstrated  the 
advisability  of  securing  further  data  on  the  question  of  family 
desertion,  and  of  devising  some  remedies  to  check  an  evil  that  has 
become  national  in  its  character,  regardless  of  race  or  creed ; 
therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  President  of  the  National  Conference  of  Jew- 
ish Charities  be  instructed  to  appoint  a  special  committee  of  five 
to  consider  the  question  in  all  its  phases,  to  prepare  uniform 
forms  for  investigation  and  report,  and  to  invite  suggestions  for 
remedies;  which  committee  shall  report  to  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Conference,  who  are  hereby  authorized  and  em- 
powered to  take  such  action  as  the  committee  may  deem  necessary 
and  appropriate ;  and  further  be  it 

Resolved,  That  this  Conference  request  the  National  Conference 
of  Charities  and  Corrections  to  appoint  a  committee  upon  the  same 
subject,  with  which  this  committee  of  this  Conference  may  act  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  uniform  legislation  throughout  the  United 
States  and  to  enlist  the  sympathetic  co-operation  of  the  various 
authorities  throughout  the  State  in  the  work  of  remedial  legisla- 
tion and  the  prompt  and  efficient  execution  of  the  laws  now  in 
force  or  hereafter  be  adopted. 

It  was  moved  and  seconded  that  the  resolution  be  adopted. 

Motion  put  and  carried. 

CHAIRMAN  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  RESOLUTIONS:  Mr.  Chairman, 
the  transportation  rules  which  have  been  suggested  by  Judge 
Mack  have  nevertheless  been  criticised  to  some  extent.  We  there- 
fore offer  the  following  resolution: 


202  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

Resolved,  Th'at  the  President  appoint  a  committee  of  three  to 
consider  and  prepare  a  revision  of  the  transportation  rules  of  the 
Conference,  to  be  submitted  to  the  Executive  Committee,  which 
is  hereby  authorized  to  alter  or  adopt  new  rules  on  the  subject, 
which,  when  so  approved  and  due  notice  given,  shall  be  binding 
on  all  the  constituent  members  of  the  Conference. 

Moved  and  seconded  to  adopt  the  resolution. 

Motion  put  and  carried. 

CHAIRMAN  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  RESOLUTIONS:  The  Committee 
also  offers  the  following  amendment  to  Section  2  of  the  Constitu- 
tion, in  reference  to  the  payment  of  dues: 

Resolved,  That  the  Annual  Membership  Dues  in  a  city  where 
Federation  exists  shall  be  for  such  Federation  one  per  cent.  (1%) 
of  the  annual  amount  expended  by  it  for  its  corporate  purposes 
during  the  preceding  year;  not  less,  however,  than  five  dollars 
($5.00),  nor  more  than  fifty  dollars  ($50.00);  and  dues  of  five 
dollars  ($5.00)  for  any  constituent  member  of  such  Federation 
that  shall  desire  membership  in  this  Conference. 

In  cities  where  no  Federation  exists,  the  annual  membership 
dues  for  each  society  shall  be  five  dollars  ($5.00)  where  its  ex- 
penditures as  above  are  less  than  five  thousand  dollars  ($5,000.00) 
and  ten  dollars  ($10.00)  for  all  others. 

Motion  put  and  carried. 

CHAIRMAN  or  COMMITTEE  ON  RESOLUTIONS  :  Now,  Mr.  Chair- 
man, I  take  great  pleasure  in  offering  the  following  resolution: 

Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  members  of  this  Conference 
are  tendered  to  the  Jewish  citizens  of  St.  Louis  for  the  generous 
hospitality  extended  by  them;  to  the  Columbian  Club  for  the  use 
of  its  beautiful  edifice;  to  the  press  of  St.  Louis  and  the  Jewish 
press  of  the  country  for  the  publicity  given  to  the  affairs  of  this 
body;  and  particularly  to  the  Committee  on  Arrangements  for 
the  thoughtful  and  considerate  preparations  made  for  the  sessions 
of  the  Conference. 

Moved  and  seconded  that  the  resolution  be  adopted  by  a  stand- 
ing vote. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHAEITIES.  203 

VICE-PRESIDENT  MARKS  :  It  has  been  moved  and  seconded  that 
this  resolution  be  adopted  by  a  standing  vote.  Those  in  favor  of 
the  motion  will  please  arise.  It  is  unanimously  adopted. 

The  next  will  be  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Nominations. 

The  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Nominations  hereupon  pre- 
sented a  report  naming  Mr.  Julius  Rosenwald  for  President,  but 
he  found  it  impossible  to  accept  the  honor.  The  following  nomi- 
nations were  then  submitted: 

President,  Lee  K.  Frankel,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Vice-Presidents,  Julius  Rosenwald,  Chicago,  111.;  Sidney  E. 
Pritz,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Treasurer,  Bernard  Greensfelder,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Secretary,  Louis  H.  Levin,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Executive  Committee,  Max  Senior,  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  Max  Herz- 
berg,  Philadelphia,  Pa.;  Julian  W.  Mack,  Chicago,  111.;  Nathan 
Bijur,  New  York,  N.  Y. ;  Jacob  H.  Hollander,  Baltimore,  Md. ; 
Samuel  S.  Fleisher,  Philadelphia,  Pa.;  Alfred  Benjamin,  Kansas 
City,  Mo.;  Minnie  F.  Low,  Chicago,  111.;  Aaron  Waldheim,  St. 
Louis,  Mo.;  Jonas  Weil,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

VICE-PRESIDENT  MARKS:  There  being  no  other  nominations,  I 
hereby  duly  declare,  upon  the  authority  of  a  motion  just  carried 
to  that  effect,  the  nominees  elected  as  put  in  nomination  by  the 
committee. 

VICE-PRESIDENT  ROSENWALD  (assuming  the  chair)  :  Have  you 
any  motions? 

Moved  and  seconded  to  adjourn. 

VICE-PRESIDENT  ROSENWALD:  If  there  are  no  objections  the 
meeting  will  stand  adjourned. 


204  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 


SECTION  OF  SOCIAL  WORKERS 


Thursday,  May  19,  1910. 
MORNING    SESSION. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  Mr.  Morris  D.  Waldman,  of 
New  York,  in  the  absence  of  Dr.  L.  B.  Bernstein,  the  regular 
chairman  for  the  meeting,  and  he  announced  that  the  chair  would 
be  taken  by  S.  Wolfenstein,  of  Cleveland,  0.  He  regretted  to 
say  that  Dr.  Bernstein  was  unavoidably  detained  by  sickness. 

CHAIRMAN  WOLFENSTEIN  :  I  have  been  requested  to  preside 
at  this  Conference  this  morning,  and  I  can  only  express  my  regret 
at  the  absence  of  the  President  of  this  organization. 

The  first  on  the  program  this  morning  is  a  paper,  entitled  "A 
Special  Study  of  the  Problem  of  Boarding  out  Jewish  Children 
and  of  Pensioning  Widowed  Mothers." 

The  paper  was  to  be  read  by  Mr.  Lowenstein,  but  he  is  absent, 
and  I  understand  that  Mr.  Bressler  will  read  the  paper. 

A  STUDY  OF  THE  PROBLEM  OF  BOARDING  OUT  JEW- 
ISH CHILDREN  AND  OF  PENSIONING  WIDOWED 
MOTHERS. 

Based  upon  the  work  of  the  Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum  and  the  Hebrew  Sheltering  Guardian 
Society  of  New  York  City  in  boarding  out,  and  of  the  co-operative  work  of  these  two  Orphan 
Asylums  and  the  United  Hebrew  Chanties  in  subsidizing  widowed  mothers. 

By  SOLOMON  LOWENSTEIN, 
Superintendent  of  the  Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum, 

NEW  YORK,  N.   Y. 

[Owing  to  his  absence  from  the  sessions  of  the  Conference,  the 
writer  of  the  paper  desires  to  state  that  it  is  not,  in  any  fair  sense, 
to  be  considered  a  committee  report,  but  rather  an  expression  of 
individual  judgment.  Owing  to  Dr.  Bernstein's  serious  illness,  no 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  205 

attempt  was  made  to  have  any  committee  meeting  at  which  the 
subject  could  be  discussed  or  a  plan  of  treatment  worked  out. 
Apart  from  the  statements  of  fact,  contained  in  the  statistical 
portions  of  the  paper,  which  were  based  upon  the  replies  received 
to  the  questionnaire,  the  writer  alone  must  be  held  responsible.] 

This  paper  does  not  aim  to  be  a  final  statement  of  the  questions 
at  issue.  It  pretends  to  be  nothing  more  than  an  introductory 
investigation,  preliminary  to  a  thorough  discussion  of  the  various 
problems  involved.  Despite  the  attacks  that,  at  various  times, 
have  been  made  upon  the  institutional  method  of  caring  for 
children,  we  may  assume  that,  at  this  Jewish  Conference,  there 
will  be  general  agreement,  irrespective  of  personal  perference,  in 
the  statement  that  the  majority  of  Jewish  children  requiring 
public  care  will,  for  a  long  time,  be  cared  for  in  institutions,  and 
that  it  is,  therefore,  our  duty  to  maintain  our  institutions  at  the 
high  plane  of  efficiency  whch  they  have  hitherto  occupied,  and  to 
adapt  to  their  various  needs  all  progressive  improvements  in  in- 
stitutional management.  The  institutional  end  of  this  discussion 
may,  therefore,  be  passed  without  further  comment. 

Two  other  methods  of  treatment  of  dependent  children  have, 
however,  been  advocated,  both  in  this  Conference  and  in  other 
forums  of  philanthropic  discussion,  culminating  in  the  Conference 
on  Child-caring,  called  by  ex-President  Roosevelt,  in  Washington, 
in  January,  1909.  The  boarding  of  dependent  children  in  private 
homes  and  the  pensioning  of  mothers  to  enable  them  to  maintain 
their  children  at  home,  after  the  father's  death,  were  both  advo- 
cated by  this  Conference,  and  in  New  York  City,  during  the  past 
year,  a  new  organization  has  been  formed  for  the  specific  purpose 
of  attempting  this  latter  work. 

Among  Jewish  child-caring  institutions,  the  Hebrew  Sheltering 
Guardian  Society,  succeeding  to  the  work  of  the  Joint  Committee 
on  Dependent  Children  of  New  York  City  (which  work  has  been 
discussed  at  our  Philadelphia  Conference  in  1906),  and  the 
Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum,  starting  somewhat  later,  have  both  or- 
ganized and  conducted  for  several  years  bureaus  for  placing  chil- 
dren in  board.  The  Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum,  for  several  years,  and 
the  Hebrew  Sheltering  Guardian  Society,  during  the  past  year,  have 


206  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE  SIXTH 

likewise  assisted  in  the  care  of  dependent  children  in  their  mothers' 
homes,  spending  for  this  purpose  sums  approximating  $30,000 
and  $3,000  annually.  The  work  of  these  two  organizations,  in 
this  department,  has  been  performed  largely  in  co-operation  with 
the  United  Hebrew  Charities  of  New  York  City — a  rough  division 
of  the  work,  describing  it  with  fair  accuracy,  involving  the  pay- 
ment of  rent  and  the  furnishing  of  clothing  and  fuel  by  the 
Charities  and  the  granting  of  an  allowance  for  living  expenses,  to 
supplement  the  Charities'  pension,  and  any  internal  resources  of 
the  family,  by  the  child-caring  institutions. 

With  this  brief  introduction,  we  may  proceed  to  an  examination 
of  the  work  performed  in  the  two  classes: 

BOARDING  OUT. 

It  may  be  in  order  to  state,  first,  the  methods  employed  in  this 
work.  Homes  are  secured,  primarily,  in  response  to  advertise- 
ments in  the  daily  newspapers — English,  German  and  Yiddish. 
Families  are  referred  to  the  institution  from  various  private 
sources ;  for  example,  by  lodges,  charitable  individuals  and  families 
already  having  children  in  board.  All  such  applications  are  care- 
fully investigated  by  a  special  agent,  giving  his  entire  time  to 
this  work.  This  results  in  the  rejection  of  the  overwhelming 
majority  of  the  applications  received.  During  the  past  fiscal  year 
50  of  148  applications  were  accepted  by  the  Hebrew  Sheltering 
Guardian  Society;  80  out  of  603  by  the  Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum. 
In  addition  to  the  inspection  by  the  institutions,  all  homes,  found 
satisfactory  by  them,  must  be  reported  to  the  Board  of  Health  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  which  rigorously  investigates  and  determines 
whether  the  home  is  satisfactory  for  the  placement  of  children 
and,  at  the  same  time,  limits  the  number  that  may  be  so  placed,  in 
accordance  with  the  size  of  the  rooms,  sanitary  accommodations, 
number  of  persons  in  applicant's  family  and  character  of  fur- 
niture. No  children  are  ever  boarded  by  either  institution  until 
the  Board  of  Health  permit  has  been  secured.  Speaking  for  the 
Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum,  I  may  state,  in  this  connection,  that  no 
home,  recommended  by  our  inspector,  has  ever  been  rejected  by 
the  Board  of  Health,  and  I  am  confident  that  a  similar  assertion 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  207 

might  be  made  on  behalf  of  the  Hebrew  Sheltering  Guardian 
Society. 

It  is  required  that,  in  all  cases,  the  family  applying  shall  have 
sources  of  income  other  than  that  received  for  the  care  of  children. 
All  applicants  must  furnish  at  least  five  references,  not  related  to 
them,  who  must  testify  in  writing,  on  supplied  forms,  to  a  list  of 
questions,  designed  to  secure  information  as  to  the  financial,  social, 
religious  and  moral  responsibility  of  the  persons  applying  for  the 
care  of  children.  Children  are  placed  in  Jewish  families  only,  and 
never  in  families  where  there  are  small  children  who  will  require 
the  attention  of  the  mother  and  divert  it  from  the  boarded  children. 

All  boarded  children  attend  the  public  schools,  and  report  cards 
of  their  progress  must  be  shown  to  the  investigator  of  the  institu- 
tion each  month,  when  issued.  Children  in  board  are  entered  at 
the  nearest  religious  school,  when  there  is  one  at  an  accessible 
distance.  In  a  number  of  instances  special  payments  are  made 
for  this  purpose. 

The  health  of  the  children  is  carefully  supervised  by  means  of 
regular  examinations  by  the  institutional  physicians  and,  in  the 
case  of  the  children  placed  by  the  Hebrew  Sheltering  Guardian 
Society,  by  a  visiting  nurse.  All  children  are  regularly  weighed 
and  measured  and,  naturally,  receive  special  treatment  in  cases  of 
acute  illness. 

All  clothing  is  furnished  by  the  institutions  and,  likewise,  all 
incidental  expenses,  apart  from  board,  are  met. 

This  work  is  supervised  by  the  State  Board  of  Charities,  which, 
in  New  York  State,  is  a  very  efficient  body.  Boarding  homes  are 
visited  and  office  records  examined  by  a  special  investigator  of  the 
State  Board  of  Charities.  During  the  past  year  the  work  of  both  in- 
stitutions in  this  department  has  been  placed  in  Class  I,  the 
highest  rating  of  the  State  Board.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  some 
of  the  most  efficient  agencies  for  placing  children  have  their  head- 
quarters in  New  York  City,  this  rating  is  a  source  of  just  pride 
to  the  institutions. 

In  order  that  the  work  of  supervision  may  be  thoroughgoing 
additional  investigators  are  employed  for  this  purpose,  who  in- 
vestigate and  visit  the  homes  in  which  children  have  been  placed 


208 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 


at  least  once  a  month  in  all  cases,  and  in  many  cases  semi-monthly. 
The  children  themselves  make  frequent  visits  to  the  institution 
for  the  purposes  of  obtaining  clothing,  to  have  shoes  repaired,  to 
visit  the  physician  and  to  be  advised  concerning  their  work  in 
school,  when  this  is  necessary.  They  are  thus  under  constant 
observation,  and  are  free  to  report  concerning  their  homes,  so  that 
whenever  it  appears  advisable  children  may  be  transferred  to  an- 
other home  in  case  the  one  already  found  should  for  any  reason 
prove  undesirable.  Statistics  of  the  work  conducted  by  the  two 
institutions  at  the  present  time  are  as  follows : 


Number  of  children  in  board 
at  the  present  time 


Number  of  children  discharged 
during  present  year 


Total    number    of    boarding 
homes  at  the  present  time . . 

Geographical  distribution  of 
these  homes: 
East  Side  to  100th  Street. 


Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum. 

Boys    138 
Girls    119 

257 


Boys 

Girls 


Harlem . 


Washington  Heights  and 
Upper  West  Side 

Bronx 

Brooklyn 

Suburban  and  country 
homes. . . 


East 
West 


70 
54 
—  124 

135 


19 

33 
21 
—  54 

10 
35 

7 


251 

200 
150 

44 

35 

16 
35 
14 


10 


135 


150 


Amount  spent  on  boarding  de- 
partment during  the  past 
year 


$23,694.36 


$36,402.91 


During  the  past  year  an  attack  upon  the  work  of  boarding  out 
Jewish  children  in  New  York  City  was  made  by  Dr.  S.  Wolfen- 
stein,  of  the  Cleveland  Orphan  Asylum,  after  a  visit  to  New  York 
and  an  investigation  of  a  few  homes.  We  believe,  with  all  due 
respect  to  Dr.  Wolfenstein's  judgment,  that  he  was  grossly  mis- 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHAEITIES.  209 

taken  in  his  estimate  of  this  work.  In  connection  with  this  re- 
port an  independent  investigation  of  homes  in  which  children  have 
been  placed  by  the  two  institutions  was  made  by  Messrs.  M.  D. 
Waldman,  of  the  United  Hebrew  Charities  of  New  York  City,  and 
D.  M.  Bressler,  of  the  Industrial  Removal  Office.  These  gentlemen 
visited  homes  of  their  own  selection  in  various  parts  of  the  city. 
No  notification  of  these  visits  had  been  given  to  the  boarding 
mothers,  and  the  homes  were  visited  by  them  under  the  same  con- 
ditions as  those  in  which  they  were  accessible  to  Dr.  Wolfenstein, 
to  whom  likewise  a  full  list  of  the  homes  of  the  Hebrew  Orphan 
Asylum  had  been  furnished  upon  his  visit  to  New  York.  The 
writer  does  not  believe  that  he  can  enter,  with  any  impartiality, 
into  this  discussion,  and  he  prefers,  therefore,  to  leave  this  matter 
to  be  presented  to  the  Conference  by  the  two  gentlemen  mentioned, 
as  part  of  the  discussion  upon  this  paper. 

I  would,  however,  present  the  following  points  in  resume  of 
this  portion  of  the  topic.  The  children  placed  in  good  boarding 
homes  receive,  in  general,  more  individual  attention  and,  in  the 
great  majority  of  cases,  more  individual  affection  than  is  possible 
in  the  best  institution.  They  are  kept  clean,  both  as  regards  their 
bodies  and  their  clothing.  They  live  in  a  type  of  home  far  better, 
in  most  instances,  than  those  from  which  they  had  been  taken,  and 
as  good  as  those  occupied  by  the  great  majority  of  the  self-respect- 
ing, independent  working  class  of  New  York's  Jewish  population. 
They  are  living,  some  of  them,  in  the  far  better  neighborhoods  of 
New  York;  most  in  the  newer  parts  of  the  city,  and  many  in 
houses  of  a  type  of  construction  definitely  better  than  were  the 
homes  of  New  York's  Jewish  population  at  a  time  when  the  present 
generation  of  well-to-do  Jews  of  New  York  were  children.  There 
need  be  no  fear  that  these  children  are  being  placed  in  improper 
homes.  It  is  true  that,  at  times,  the  right  personal  adjustment  is 
not  always  secured  at  the  first  placement,  and  subsequent  transfers 
may  be  necessary.  In  other  cases  women,  whose  homes  have  been 
found  satisfactory,  have  proved  unsatisfactory  because  of  personal 
characteristics,  which  make  them  ineligible  to  continue  in  charge 
of  children.  Such  homes  must  be  abandoned,  but  the  percentage 
of  such  failures  is  small  and  does  not  militate  against  the  general 


210  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE  SIXTH 

value  of  this  method  of  care.  But,  beyond  such  general  argument 
in  its  favor  as  a  means  of  caring  for  all  kinds  of  children  that 
come  to  us,  we  may  definitely  assert  that  it  has  decided  advantages 
over  the  institutional  method  in  at  least  three  classes  of  cases : 

First — The  child,  under  seven  or  eight  years  of  age,  really  has 
no  proper  place  in  a  large  congregate  institution.  Such  children 
thrive  much  better,  both  physically  and  mentally,  in  the  small 
private  home,  and  should  be  boarded  out,  whenever  possible. 

Second — Every  institution  has  its  share  of  children  who  are 
abnormal  or  atypical,  either  socially  or  intellectually.  They  may 
be  unduly  precocious  or  abnormally  dull,  without  having  sunk  to 
the  level  of  feeble-mindedness.  They  may  be  unfit,  by  reason  of 
undue  timidity  or  undue  assertiveness,  for  life  in  the  crowded 
institutional  ranks.  The  well-selected  boarding  home  is  far  better 
than  the  institution  for  such  cases. 

Third — The  class  of  physical  defectives;  children  having  heart 
trouble,  crippled  children  or  those  suffering  from  any  other  physical 
ailment,  requiring  hospital  treatment,  are  ineligible  for  admission 
to  most  institutions,  but  can  easily  be  cared  for  in  a  good  private 
home. 

For  another  class  the  boarding  home  is  often  preferable.  I  refer 
to  those  half-orphans,  who  are  motherless.  The  father  is  often 
able  and  anxious  to  live  with  his  children,  and  very  often  the 
boarding  home  provides  this  means.  Often,  though  the  father 
cannot  live  in  the  same  home  with  his  children,  the  boarding 
home  is,  in  many  instances,  preferred  by  him  because  of  the 
frequency  with  which  he  may  visit  the  children  and  the  over- 
sight that  he  can  bestow  upon  them.  The  Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum 
makes  it  a  rule  never  to  place  fatherless  half-orphans  in  board 
unless  the  mother  is  incapable  of  caring  for  her  own  children  by 
reason  of  physical  or  moral  disqualifications. 

The  one  great  question  that  the  boarding-out  system  has  yet  to 
answer  and  which,  at  least  in  the  case  of  the  Jewish  institution,  it 
cannot  yet  answer  because  of  its  comparative  newness,  is  what 
effect  will  it  have  upon  the  children  as  they  become  older,  and 
what  can  it  give  in  the  way  of  future  training.  With  regard  to 
the  latter,  I  see  no  reason  why  the  institution  cannot  give  its 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  211 

boarding-out  children  the  same  advantages  as  it  offers  to  those 
brought  up  within  its  walls.  The  answer  to  the  former  is  more 
dubious,  and  can  be  determined  only  when  the  future  shall  have 
given  us  more  material  upon  which  to  base  our  judgment. 

PENSIONING   OF    WIDOWS. 

*To  enable  the  investigation  to  proceed  upon  some  lines  of  definite 
information  it  was  decided  that,  for  the  purpose  of  this  work,  100 
cases  should  be  chosen,  distributed  as  follows :  United  Hebrew 
Charities,  45  cases;  Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum,  45  cases;  Hebrew 
Sheltering  Guardian  Society,  10  cases.  It  was  the  original  in- 
tention that  the  cases  of  the  United  Hebrew  Charities  should  be 
such  as  received  assistance  from  no  other  organization.  A  few 
cases,  however,  were  submitted  in  which  additional  assistance  was 
given,  but  not  in  sufficient  numbers  to  change  the  general  result 
of  the  examination.  Both  the  Orphan  Asylum  and  the  Sheltering 
Guardian  cases  are  necessarily  those  in  which  the  United  Hebrew 
Charities  co-operated.  To  secure  uniform  results  a  list  of  questions 
was  prepared,  and  each  of  the  three  organizations  was  to  have 
answered  upon  blanks  made  in  this  fashion.  The  10  Sheltering 
Guardian  Society  cases,  however,  were  not  reported  in  accordance 
with  this  method  and  the  results  in  these  cases  are,  therefore,  not 
absolutely  uniform.  The  differences,  howevei^  are  not  in  essential 
matters.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  items  of  information 
requested  with  relation  to  each  case : 

Name  of  family? 

Address  ? 

Number  of  rooms  occupied? 

Number  of  windows  per  room? 

Number  of  beds,  cots  or  other  articles  used  for  sleeping 
purposes  ? 

Has  the  apartment  a  private  toilet?  A  private 

bathroom  ? 

*  One  Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum  reply  has  been  lost.  Its  figures, 
therefore,  treat  of  only  forty-four  cases,  reducing  the  total  number 
considered  to  ninety-nine.  The  Hebrew  Sheltering  Guardian  Society 
cases  are,  of  course,  too  few  in  number  to  permit  of  any  general  con- 
clusions being  drawn  from  their  figures  alone. 


212  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

Is  it  an  old  or  new  style  tenement? 

What  uses  are  made  of  the  various  rooms? 

Amount  of  rent  paid? 

Is  the  head  of  the  family  a  widow  or  a  deserted  woman  ? 

Number  of  persons  in  family — 

(a)  Adults?          Married?        Single? 

(b)  Children  above  working  age? 

(c)  Children  below  working  age,  but  of  school  age? 

(d)  Children  "below  school  age? 

Are  there  boarders  or  lodgers  in  the  family?  If  so, 
what  amount  do  they  pay? 

Does  the  mother  perform  other  work  than  household 
duties?  If  so,  what,  and  how  much  does  she  earn? 

Occupations  and  wages  of  working  members  of  the 
family  ? 

Are  there  any  physical  defects  in  any  members  of  the 
family  ? 

Is  there  any  chronic  disease  in  any  member  of  the 
family,  particularly  tuberculosis,  and,  if  so,  what  atten- 
tion is  given  to  invalid? 

Do  the  children  attend  school  regularly? 

What  educational  training  do  the  children  receive  out- 
side of  public  school,  viz.,  in  religious  schools,  settle- 
ments, etc? 

How  do  the  children  spend  their  time  outside  of  school, 
particularly  on  Saturday  and  Sunday? 

What  are  their  means  of  recreation ;  theatre,  settlement 
clubs  or  classes,  moving  picture  shows,  street  play,  etc.? 

Have  any  of  the  children  ever  been  arrested?  If  so, 
for  what? 

Are  any  of  tne  children  away  from  home;  in  institu- 
tions and  otherwise?  If  so,  why  and  where? 

What  charitable  assistance  has  the  family  received? 
Include  under  this  all  forms  of  assistance,  whether  from 
public  or  private  sources ;  whether  in  cash,  coal  or  supplies. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES. 


213 


The  information  secured  from  the  analysis  of  the  replies  thus 
received  shows  the  following  results: 


U.  H.  C. 

H.  O.  A. 

H.  S.  G.  S. 

NUMBER   OF   CASES. 

45 

44 

10 

LOCATION. 

45  downtown 

24  downtown 

10  downtown 

20  uptown 

HEAD   OF   FAMILY. 

34  widows 

33  widows 

10  widows 

11  deserted  women 

9  deserted  women 

2  cases  —  husband  living 

(1  insane;  1  blind) 

SIZE   OF   HOMES   AND   FAMILIES. 

1  family     5  rooms. 

1  family    8  persons 

5  families    4  rooms. 

16  families    4  rooms. 

1  family      10  persons 

1  family      10  persons 

1  family        6  persons 

2  families      9  persons 

1  family        4  persons 

1  family        8  persons 

2  families      3  persons 

5  families      7  persons 

3  families      6  persons 

26  persons 

2  families      5  persons 

average  per  room  1  .  3 

2  families      4  persons 

107  persons 

average  per  room  1.6+ 

22  families    S  rooms. 

19  families    S  rooms. 

7  families    3  rooms. 

1  family      12  persons 

1  family        9  persons 

1  family      9  persons 

1  family        8  persons 

4  families      7  persons 

1  family      7  persons 

5  families      7  persons 

3  families      6  persons 

2  families    6  persons 

2  families      6  persons 

6  families      5  persons 

3  families    5  persons 

7  families      5  persons 

3  families      4  persons 

4  families      4  persons 

2  families      3  persons 

2  families      3  persons 

124  persons 

103  persons 

43  persons 

average  per  room  1.8+ 

average  per  room  1  .  8 

average  per  room  2.0+ 

17  families    2  rooms. 

8  families    2  rooms. 

S  families    2  rooms. 

2  families      7  persons 

1  family        7  persons 

2  families    6  persons 

2  families      6  persons 

1  family        6  persons 

1  family      5  persons 

1  family        5  persons 

1  family        5  persons 

6  families      4  persons 

3  families      4  persons 

6  families      3  persons 

2  families      3  persons 

73  persons 
average  per  room  2.1  + 


36  persons 
average  per  room  2 . 25 


17  persons 
average  per  room  2.8+ 


1  family 
1  family 


1  room. 
3  persons 


214 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  SIXTH 


U.  H.  C. 

H.  O.  A. 

H.  S.  G.  8. 

RENTALS. 

6  room  apartments. 

5  rooms        $15.00 

average  $3.00  per  room 

4  room  apartments. 

4  room  apartments. 

1  apartment     $18.00 

2  apartments   $17.00 

1  apartment     $17.00 

1  apartment     $16.00 

1  apartment     $15.00 

1  apartment     $15.00 

1  apartment     $13.50 

1  apartment     $14.50 

1  apartment     $12.00 

2  apartments   $14.00 

1  apartment     $13.50 

1  apartment     $13.00 

1  apartment     $12.50 

2  apartments   $12.00 

1  apartment     $11.00 

2  apartments   $10.00 

1  apartment     $  8.00 

average  per  room  $3.77J 

average  per  room  S3  .  27  3 

3  room  apartments. 

3  room  apartments. 

S  room  apartments. 

I  apartment     $15.00 

1  apartment     $13.50 

1  apartment     $13.00 

1  apartment     $14.00 

2  apartments   $13.00 

1  apartment     $11.75 

3  apartments   $13.00 

2  apartments   $12.00 

2  apartments   $11.50 

2  apartments   $12.50 

1  apartment     $11.00 

1  apartment     $11.00 

3  apartments   $12.00 

5  apartments   $10.00 

2  apartments   $10.00 

1  apartment     $11.50 

2  apartments   $  9.50 

6  apartments   $11.00 

1  apartment     $  9.00 

5  apartments   $10.00 

3  apartments   $  8.00 

2  janitresses  —  free 

average  per  room  $3.88| 

average  per  room  $3  .  46 

average  per  room  $3  .  75 

2  room  apartments. 

2  room  apartments. 

2  room  apartments. 

1  apartment     $12.00 

1  apartment     $12.00 

1  apartment     $11.00 

1  apartment     $11.00 

1  apartment     $11.00 

2  apartments   $  9.00 

3  apartments   $10.00 

1  apartment     $10.00 

2  apartments   $  9.50 

1  apartment     $  9.50 

2  apartments   $  9.00 

2  apartments   $  9.00 

2  apartments   $  8.50 

1  apartment     $  8.00 

5  apartments   $  8.00 

1  apartment     $  6.50 

1  apartment     $  7.50 

average  per  room  $4  .  54| 

average  per  room  $4.68f 

average  per  room  $4.83J 

1  room  apartment. 

1  apartment     $  5.00 

GENERAL  AVERAGE  RENT  PER  ROOM  FOR  ALL,  CLASSES. 

$4.06  1-5  $3.50  $3.99 


$12.18 


AVERAGE  RENTAL  PER  FAMILY. 
$11.20 


$10.77 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES. 


215 


45  families 
226  persona 
121  rooms 

average  persons  per 
family  5.0+ 

about  2  §  rooms  per 

family 
1 . 8  persons  per  room 


HOUSING   STATISTICS. 

44  families 
254  persons 
142  rooms 

average  persons  per 
family  5.7+ 

3. 2+ rooms  per  family 
1 . 7+ persons  per  room 


10  families 
60  persons 
27  rooms 

average  persons  per 
family  6. 

2 . 7  rooms  per  family 
2 . 2  persons  per  room 


FAMILY   AGE   STATISTICS — FAMILY   CONDITIONS. 


226  persons  254  persons 
58  adults  48  adults 

23  working  children  34  working  children 

113  children — school  age  134  children — school  age 


32  below  school  age 


38  below  school  age 


60  persons 
10  adults 

4  working  children 
28  children — school  age 
18  below  school  age 


LODGERS   IN   FAMILIES   AND   AMOUNTS   PAID. 

17  families  with  lodgers     11  families  with  lodgers       No  lodgers 
26  lodgers     $81.50  2  grandmothers 

1  brother-in-law,  $5  mth. 

9  lodgers     $27.00 

average  $3 . 13  per  mth.      average  $3.00  per  mth. 

OCCUPATIONS   AND   EARNINGS   OF  MOTHERS  EMPLOYED   AT  WORK   OTHER 
THAN   CARING   FOR   HOME. 


28  mothers  employed 
14  washing 

1  candy  store 

6  meals  for  boarders 
4  sewing 

2  odd  jobs 

3  peddlers 


20  mothers  employed 
4  washing 
9  sewing 
4  peddlers 
2  odd  jobs 
2  janitresses 
1  cooks  meals 


2  mothers  employed 
1  washing  $1.20  per  wk. 
1  occasional  sewing 


(2  of  these  served  meals  (2  of  these  served  meals  in 
in  addition  to  other          addition  to  other  work) 
work) 

Earnings  from  $5  to  $6  Earnings  from  $1  to  $6 
per  week  per  week 

These  figures  speak  for  themselves.  With  relation  to  the  housing 
conditions,  the  following  general  remarks  may  be  added: 

It  is  impossible,  in  most  cases,  to  give  definite  names  for  uses  of 
rooms.  With  families  of  the  sizes  given,  living  in  such  restricted 
quarters,  it  is  obvious  that  there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  a  room 
used  only  to  receive  visitors  and  for  other  family  social  activities. 
Though  each  family  claims  parlor  and  dining-room,  wherever  the 
number  of  rooms  is  sufficient  to  justify  such  aristocratic  preten- 


216  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

tions,  none  the  less  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  all  rooms,  when  the 
day  is  ended,  must  serve  alike  as  sleeping  quarters.  The  reports 
on  the  Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum  cases  indicate  that,  in  a  somewhat 
larger  percentage  than  in  the  others,  the  claim  was  made  that 
the  kitchen  was  not  used  for  sleeping  purposes ;  all  the  other  rooms, 
however,  are  frankly  admitted  to  be  used  as  bedrooms.  Likewise, 
it  is  difficult  to  state  with  exactness  concerning  the  articles  used 
for  beds.  These,  according  to  the  replies,  were,  generally  speak- 
ing, sufficient  in  number,  but  they  included  not  only  ordinary 
bedsteads,  but  folding  beds,  folding  cots  of  types  peculiar  to  New 
York  City,  couches  and  even  chairs.  In  one  case  a  mother  and 
three  children  were  reported  as  occupying  one  bed.  Windowless 
rooms,  one  of  the  horrors  of  old-style  tenements,  were  found  in 
twelve  United  Hebrew  Charities  rooms  and  six  Orphan  Asylum 
rooms. 

The  following  figures  also  relate  to  housing  conditions: 

U.  H.  C.  H.  O.  A.  H.  S.  G.  S. 

TYPE   OF  TENEMENT. 

10  new-style  tenements      11  new-style  tenements       2  new-style  tenements 
7  remodelled  old  tene-    33  old-style  tenements         8  old-style  tenements 
ments 
28  old-style  tenements 

SANITARY   ACCOMMODATIONS. 

2  private  toilets  17  private  toilets  no  dark  rooms 

1  private  bath  6  private  baths  no  private  toilets 

no  baths 

[Note  in  connection  with  these  figures  that,  under  existing  regu- 
lations, no  child  is  ever  placed  in  a  boarding  home  without  private 
bath  and  toilet.] 

It  is  difficult  to  get  exact  or  definite  statements  concerning  the 
employment  of  the  children.  Suffice  it 'to  say  that  those  reported 
were  employed  in  the  usual  shop,  factory  and  office  occupations,  at 
wages  ranging  from  $3.00  to  $7.00  per  week. 

With  reference  to  the  health  of  the  families,  a  number  of  women 
in  each  class  complained  of  anemia,  neurasthenia,  weak  hearts, 
defective  eyesight  and  various  internal  disorders,  or  defects  of 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  217 

the  special  senses.  The  only  diseases  present  which  might  have 
possible  adverse  effect  upon  the  children  maintained  in  these 
homes  were  five  cases  of  tuberculosis  among  United  Hebrew  Chari- 
ties families,  and  one  Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum  case.  It  is  interest- 
ing to  note,  however,  that  all  these  cases  are  receiving  medical 
treatment  from  some  form  of  medical  charity.  In  no  case  was  a 
private  physician  reported. 

Recreation  of  the  children  is  but  ill  provided  for.  Playing  on 
the  streets  is  the  usual  reply.  Settlement  clubs,  when  present  in 
the  neighborhood,  are  somewhat  used,  and  the  library  is  generally 
popular.  The  form  of  recreation  most  frequently  mentioned  is  an 
occasional  visit  to  the  moving  picture  show.  School  attendance, 
in  all  cases,  is  reported  as  regular,  with  a  single  exception,  among 
the  United  Hebrew  Charities  cases.  Hebrew  instruction  is  the 
object  of  much  solicitude.  Figures  for  the  United  Hebrew  Chari- 
ties, Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum  and  Sheltering  Guardian  Society 
are  28,  30  and  4  families,  respectively,  in  which  this  branch  re- 
ceives attention,  frequently  at  financial  cost. 

Delinquency  is  rare.  Among  the  United  Hebrew  Charities  cases 
3  arrests  are  reported — 1  of  a  husband  for  forgery,  1  of  a  boy  for 
stealing,  1  of  a  boy  peddling  without  a  license.  In  the  Hebrew 
Orphan  Asylum  cases  2  boys  were  arrested  for  peddling  without 
licenses  and  1  for  jumping  on  a  street  car  while  in  motion. 

Relief  statistics  are  as  follows : 

U.  H.  C.  H.  O.  A.  H.  S.  G.  S. 

Pensions $554.86  U.  H.  C $337.60    H.  S.  G.  S....     $178.00 

Average 

perfamily...     12.33  H.  O.  A 595.50     U.  H.  C 108.20 

Other  sources ..    156.00  Other  sources ...     31.00  Other  sources.  5.00 


Total  asst. . . .  $710 . 86  $964 . 10  $288 . 20 

average  per  family  about        average  per  family  average  per  family 

$15.79  $21.91  $28.82 

average  rent  per  family        average  rent  per  family         average  rent  per  family 
$10.80  $11.20  $10.77 

(In  all  these  cases  clothing,  fuel  and  Passover  supplies  are  furnished  by 
the  United  Hebrew  Charities  to  pensioners  in  addition  to  the  pension). 


218  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

These  figures  indicate  that  those  pensioned  are  not  being 
adequately  supported;  that  they  are  living  in  quarters  congested 
altogether  beyond  the  dictates  of  health,  morality  and  decency; 
that  they  are  being  compelled  to  eke  out  a  living  far  inferior  to 
that  required  by  a  normal  standard.  The  amount  of  relief  given 
beyond  the  earnings  of  mothers  and  children,  where  there  are  any 
such,  is,  in  the  cases  assisted  by  the  United  Hebrew  Charities  alone, 
barely  sufficient  to  cover  the  rent,  and,  in  other  cases,  where  co- 
operative effort  prevails,  the  amount  of  relief  is  very  meagre,  com- 
pared with  the  average  size  of  the  family. 

This  is  by  no  means  to  say  that  the  policy  of  attempting  to 
maintain  homes  intact  is  unwise.  Given  a  good  mother  there  is 
no  reason,  as  has  been  stated  frequently  on  the  platform  of  this 
Conference,  why  she  should  be  compelled  to  add  the  distress  of 
breaking  up  her  home  to  the  grief  occasioned  by  the  loss  of  her 
husband,  but,  if  the  community  has  wisely  decided  to  assist  her  to 
do  this,  it  must,  at  the  same  time,  determine  that  its  support  shall 
be  adequate.  It  must  give  generously  and  not  with  niggardly  hand. 
The  mother  ought  not  to  be  compelled  to  engage  in  work  that  will 
call  her  away  from  her  own  home,  nor  be  forced,  in  her  own  home, 
to  perform  so  large  a  quantity  of  work  as  to  cause  her  to  neglect 
her  children,  nor  should  her  work  be  of  such  character  as  to  impair 
her  own  health  or  that  of  her  offspring.  Above  all,  the  keeping  of 
lodgers,  other  than  those  related  by  blood  ties  to  the  family,  should 
be  prohibited  absolutely.  The  family  should  not  be  allowed  to 
remain  in  the  poorer  overcrowded  neighborhoods  of  the  city,  but 
inasmuch  as,  in  most  cases,  the  majority  of  the  children  are  below 
the  legal  working  age,  they  should  be  required  to  move  out  into 
suburban  or  less  closely  settled  neighborhoods,  where  the  oppor- 
tunities for  fresh  air  and  healthful  play  are  unrestricted.  The 
relief  granted  should  be  sufficient  to  enable  the  child,  in  addition  to 
remaining  at  home,  to  have  at  least  a  fair  share  of  the  recreative 
opportunities  that  are  afforded  to  his  fellow  in  the  institution. 
But,  for  the  proper  working  out  of  this  class  of  cases,  a  much 
greater  degree  of  supervision  must  be  provided  than  is  furnished 
by  any  of  the  existing  New  York  agencies.  This  is  not  work  for 
the  salaried  employe.  It  is  pre-eminently  the  task  of  the  friendly 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  219 

visitor;  of  the  good  woman  who  feels  that  in  large  organized 
charity  there  is  no  place  provided  for  her  personal  service.  Too 
often  the  mother  is  not  competent  to  spend  wisely  the  amount 
of  money  that  may  be  necessary  to  give  her  adequate  relief.  The 
friendly  visitor,  sympathetic,  tactful,  with  a  knowledge  of  good 
housekeeping,  can  be  of  invaluable  service  to  her.  In  addition  to 
assisting  in  the  expenditure  of  funds  and  the  management  of  the 
family  budget,  she  may  find  work  to  do  in  advice  concerning  the 
preparation  of  foods  and  the  foods  to  be  used;  the  cleanliness  of 
the  children,  their  schooling  and  amusement.  With  proper  super- 
vision, I  believe  this  kind  of  work  can  become  extremely  valuable; 
without  it,  I  am  convinced  that  it  can  result  only  in  failure. 

CHAIRMAN  WOLFENSTEIN  :  According  to  the  program,  you  will 
notice  that  I  was  to  discuss  this  paper,  but  I  decline  to  do  so. 
I  received  the  paper  yesterday,  which  was  sent  to  me  by  mail, 
and  I  have  been  so  busy  I  have  just  looked  over  it  and  just  read 
it  today.  But  even  if  I  had  had  it  before  1  would  decline  to  dis- 
cuss it  here  today,  as  long  as  I  am  now  here  presiding,  and  also 
I  do  not  think  I  need  to  discuss  it.  I  have  published  my  views 
on  the  subject,  and  I  think  they  are  well  known,  and  I  have  not 
changed  them  after  the  paper  was  read. 

DISCUSSION. 

By  HENRY  MAUSER, 
Superintendent  Pacific  Orphan  Asylum, 

SAN   FRANCISCO,    CAL. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  members  of  the  committee  were  not 
able  to  complete  their  report,  and  this  with  a  more  complete  de- 
cision of  the  members  of  the  committee. 

The  paper  presented  here  this  morning  is  to  some  extent  con- 
tradictory, and  practically  places  in  the  hands  of  its  opponents 
the  weapons  of  argument. 

The  idea  of  placing  out  our  children  to  board  is  not  a  new  one; 
it  is  practically  as  old  as  civilization,  but  with  us  it  dates  back  to 
to  city  almshouse,  where  peripatetic  travelers  would  be  put  away, 


220  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE  SIXTH 

leaving  children  to  be  taken  care  of  by  the  town;  and  even  in 
those  days  they  were  unable  to  find  proper  homes  for  these  children, 
and  they  were  placed  in  the  almshouse,  there  to  be  kept  until 
they  were  able  to  start  out  to  work,  which,  in  those  days,  was  at 
a  very  youthful  period,  and  they  were  made  veritable  slaves. 

The  paper  presented  seems  to  be  more  typical  of  New  York 
City  than  any  other  place.  Perhaps  the  congestion  is  so  great  there, 
the  problem  is  so  large,  that  other  methods  besides  housing  children 
in  orphanages  must  be  taken,  and  I  grant  you  such  children  should 
be  put  in  homes  proper  for  their  care. 

The  theory  that  the  private  home  is  best  for  the  child  is  beyond 
argument.  But  the  problem  of  finding  practical  homes  is  beset 
with  great,  almost  insurmountable,  obstacles,  that  have  not  been 
overcome  up  to  the  present  time,  and  the  attempts  so  far  have 
been  merely  experimental.  It  will  take  years  before  a  definite  de- 
cision as  to  the  method  can  be  arrived  at. 

I  want  to  ask  these  questions:  What  called  into  being  settle- 
ment work?  What  has  called  into  activity  the  social  service 
worker?  The  alleviating,  the  educating,  the  refining  and  the  up- 
lifting cf  our  co-religionists  who  require  their  services? 

In  seeking  homes  for  the  children,  to  whom  are  you  looking  to 
place  them?  To  whom  have  you  looked  to  place  the  children  who 
have  been  placed?  Those  whom  you  and  I  would  like  to  care  for 
our  children  would  we  pick  the  very  class  whom  we  are  called  on 
to  educate  and  refine?  Are  those  the  homes  in  which  you  would 
place  children  who  have  already  been  punished  by  being  bereft 
of  parents?  Are  they  who  have  homes  and  education  and  refine- 
ment willing  to  take  a  child?  No;  consequently  you  will  have  to 
look  to  the  very  class  who  require  unlifting. 

I 'claim  the  movement  stulifies  itself.  If  you  cannot  find  homes 
with  equal  refinement,  equally  as  well-equipped  as  a  well-equipped 
orphan  asylum,  you  have  not  found  the  proper  solution  of  this 
problem,  nor  have  you  found  the  proper  homes  for  the  children. 

I  must  approach  reverently  the  city  of  New  York.  We  who  live 
in  small  communities,  who  have  not  the  congestion  to  contend  with, 
who  have  not  the  problems  to  fight  against  that  New  York  has,  we 
find  that  in  the  small  institution  family  affection,  education  and 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  221 

refinement  and  the  affection  between  the  children  and  those  in 
charge  can  be  had  and  is  had. 

In  New  York  you  have  a  disproportion  of  defective  children, 
who  are  most  probably  detrimental  to  the  mass  of  children,  and 
for  them  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  find  homes  on  the  outside, 
and  with  that  idea  I  am  heartily  in  accord. 

With  reference  to  the  question  of  pensioning  widows,  after  ten 
years  of  advocacy  of  the  cause  with  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum,  they  did  not  deem  it  wise  to  enter  into 
that  at  that  time,  but  they  are  on  the  eve  of  doing  so. 

According  to  another  report  today,  which  we  are  also  discussing, 
you  can  see  how  difficult  and  enormous  a  task  confronts  us  to 
place  children  even  with  their  own  mothers.  How  many  of  these 
women  are  capable  of  taking  care  of  their  own  children  and  of 
doing  for  them  the  tithe  of  what  is  done  for  them  in  the  orphan 
asylum?  How  many  of  these  women  are  already  the  object  of 
charity?  How  many  of  these  women  know  how  to  carry  on  their 
household,  much  less  rear  children  they  have  brought  into  the 
world  ? 

It  is  a  great  subject,  and  I  am  heartily  in  favor  of  pensioning 
a  widow  for  taking  care  of  her  children.  The  fact  is  a  widow 
would  much  rather  get  paid  for  taking  care  of  her  child  than  to 
have  it  put  out  in  an  orphan  asylum.  Not  only  should  she  receive 
ample  assistance,  but  every  assistance  that  she  requires. 

But  I  think  the  greatest  care  should  be  taken  as  into  whose  hands 
the  children  are  placed,  mothers  or  anyone  else.  There  is  no 
one,  I  am  sure,  who  hates  more  than  I  the  idea  of  taking  children 
away  from  their  parents.  But  when  the  parent  is  not  properly 
equipped  that  sentiment  should  have  no  place.  We  owe  the  duty 
not  alone  to  the  mother,  but  we  owe  the  duty  to  the  country  and 
the  community  in  which  we  live,  and  no  sentiment  should  inter- 
vene to  prevent  us  from  taking  the  proper  course  to  rear  these 
children,  to  make  them  good  citizens. 

Now  I  contend  that  if  the  difficulty  is  so  great  in  placing  chil- 
dren with  their  own  mothers,  how  undesirable  it  would  be  to  place 
them  with  strangers  if  those  who  take  them  take  them  not  because 
they  care  for  them,  but  simply  for  the  stipend  that  is  given  for 


222  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE  SIXTH 

their  care,  in  order  to  eke  out  their  existence.  For  this  reason  a 
family  of  children  can  be  better  taken  care  of  in  institutions  under 
wise  people  skilled  in  their  care.  They  can  receive  just  as  much 
parental  affection  as  they  can  from  strange  women,  and  until  this 
question  is  properly  adjusted,  until  there  is  the  proper  amount  of 
other  income  to  warrant  these  people  in  taking  these  children 
and  educating  them,  and  not  needing  the  stipend  for  their  own 
support,  I  claim  those  in  charge  of  institutions  should  see  to  it 
that  the  children  are  placed  in  their  institutions,  where  they  may 
receive  all  they  are  entitled  to,  the  asylum  taking  the  place  of  the 
parents  whom  God  has  taken  away  from  them. 

DISCUSSION—  (Continued). 

By  ARMAND  WYLE, 
Superintendent  Jewish  Orphan  Asylum, 

NEWARK,    N.    J. 

Unfortunately,  no  copy  of  Mr.  Lowenstein's  report  was  re- 
ceived by  me  prior  to  my  departure  for  this  Conference,  and  only 
a  superficial  reading  of  it  was  possible  when  it  finally  reached  me. 
The  only  conclusion  that  seems  possible  to  be  drawn  from  it  is 
that  the  boarding-out  system,  described  by  Mr.  Lowenstein  as 
being  practiced  by  the  two  New  York  orphan  asylums,  is  being 
conducted  with  every  possible  precaution  to  safeguard  the  integrity 
of  the  children  placed  out  by  them;  therefore,  some  generaliza- 
tions made  in  my  paper  might  be  modified  so  far  as  these  agencies 
are  concerned.  Should  such  care  be  taken  by  all  agencies  engaged 
in  this  phase  of  the  work,  no  adverse  comment  could  be  entertained. 
However,  dangers  do  exist,  as  under  other  systems,  and  it  is  with 
these  dangers  that  my  paper  has  to  deal.  That  all  methods  of 
child-caring  have  their  merits  is  also  true,  and  in  view  of  the 
great  number  of  children  to  be  considered  all  tried  systems  should 
play  a  complementary  part  in  child-welfare  work. 

The  keynote  of  the  White  House  Conference  on  the  Care  of 
Dependent  Children  was  expressed  in  these  words:  "Home  life 
is  the  highest  and  finest  product  of  civilization.  Children  should 
not  be  deprived  of  it,  except  for  urgent  and  compelling  reasons." 

The  committee  on  resolutions  of  the  Conference  in  reporting  its 
conclusions  to  President  Roosevelt  sounds  the  danger  note  of  this 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  223 

summary  in  recommending  that  prospective  homes  should  be  most 
carefully  investigated  by  thoroughly  competent  persons,  and  that 
after  placement  these  homes  should  be  intelligently  visited ;  finally, 
it  says :  "Unless  and  until  such  homes  are  found,  the  use  of  institu- 
tions is  necessary."  If  this  program  should  in  all  cases  be  carried 
out,  it  is  my  belief  that  "urgent  and  compelling  reasons"  would 
very  often  be  found  why  children  should  continue  to  be  main- 
tained in  institutions.  Home  life  is  truly  the  ideal  one  for  chil- 
dren, but  good  homes  are  difficult  to  discover — homes  where  the 
standard  is  as  high  as  is  that  demanded  of  institutions.  The 
Conference  also  recommends  State  supervision  of  all  methods  of 
child-caring  agencies,  public  or  private.  If  this  is  done  by  honest 
and  thoroughly  competent  persons,  any  method  will  prove  effective, 
the  community  itself  being  the  best  judge  of  the  policy  to  be 
maintained. 

Mr.  James  E.  West,  Secretary  of  the  White  House  Conference, 
in  a  personal  letter  to  me  stated  that  among  10,000  applications 
made  to  a  magazine  interested  in  home  finding  for  children  a  fair 
proportion  were  found  unworthy,  and  among  the  worthy  ones  two 
Jewish  families  were  given  Jewish  children  with  unsatisfactory 
results.  He  admits  the  danger  of  exploitation,  improper  super- 
vision, insufficient  guardianship  of  health,  safety,  morals,  religion 
and  education,  though  he  maintains  that  thousands  of  homes 
offered  were  found  to  be  ideal  places  for  children,  but  that  institu- 
tions in  our  large  cities  are  unwilling  to  release  their  children. 
This  is  in  itself  significant,  for  no  institution  managed  on  broad 
lines  would  reject  such  opportunities  if  the  system  were  found 
satisfactory.  Mr.  West  further  says  that  some  institutions  are 
making  arrangements  to  transfer  children  to  the  Middle  West,  of 
which  he  apparently  approves ;  but  Texas,  for  one,  is  remonstrating, 
on  the  ground  that  the  shipping  has  been  carelessly  managed  and 
the  children  have  frequently  fallen  into  the  care  of  irresponsible 
persons.  (See  New  York  Times,  May  2.  1910,  editorial  page.) 

Such  tests  as  those  recently  essayed  in  New  York  by  Dr.  Wolfen- 
stein  and  the  committee  sent  out  to  refute  his  conclusions  are  mis- 
leading and  by  no  means  conclusive.  It  is  universally  acknowl- 
edged that  Dr.  Wolfenstein  has  had  eminent  success  with  a  con- 


224  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

gregate  institution  for  children,  but  this  very  success  may,  in  a 
measure,  account  for  his  attitude  toward  the  homes  he  so  in- 
auspiciously  visited.  (See  editorial,  American  Hebrew,  March  11, 
1910.)  On  the  other  hand,  the  persons  interested  were  aware  of 
the  intended  visits  of  the  investigating  committee  from  the  Hebrew 
Sheltering  Guardian  Society,  and  these  calls  were  made  on  suc- 
ceeding Saturdays,  when  Jewish  homes  are  in  Shabbas  order  and 
children  in  holiday  condition  and  attire. 

The  committee  above  mentioned  stated  that  the  inspector  made 
sufficiently  frequent  visits,  this  being  as  definite  a  statement  of 
this  important  feature  as  I  had  seen  before  reading  Mr.  Lowen- 
stein's  report,  and  is  decidedly  inconclusive.  Inspectors'  visits 
are  not  in  all  agencies  likely  to  be  frequent,  and  may  be  con- 
trolled by  personal  interest,  though  this  interest  is  not  necessarily 
induced  by  anything  more  than  the  attractive  personality  of  a 
child.  The  time  of  an  inspectors'  visits  can  easily  be  gauged,  if 
they  be  irregular;  a  child  may  be  afraid  to  tell  of  its  ill  treatment 
even  if  it  is  able  to  do  so,  or  may  exaggerate  its  wrongs;  petty 
discrimination  may  be  shown  in  favor  of  the  family's  own  children 
and  cause  much  misery  to  the  others. 

Now  a  word  as  to  these  homes.  Judge  William  H.  DeLacy,  of 
the  Washington,  D.  C.,  Juvenile  Court,  says  that  85%  of  the 
children  in  court  are  there  because  of  home  conditions.  Ernest 
K.  Coulter,  Clerk  of  New  York  Children's  Court,  says  that  he 
figures  101,000  rooms  in  Manhattan  are  without  windows  and  that 
300,000  persons  exist  in  them.  The  New  York  Child  Welfare 
Committee  says  there  is  in  New  York  less  than  one  square  foot 
of  playground  for  each  child.  It  is  estimated  that  95%  of  the 
children  quit  school  before  14  years  old.  Dr.  Reeder  says  that  "The 
attempt  to  escape  their  God-given  responsibility  by  many  parents 
nowadays  is  the  chief  cause  of  juvenile  delinquincy,  of  well-filled 
protectories,  reformatories  and  so-called  industrial  schools."  It  is 
among  tenement  homes  that  compulsory  attendance  at  public 
school  is  most  frequently  imposed ;  that  truant  officers  are  oftenest 
seen;  that  the  school  doctor  and  nurse  are  most  needed.  How 
much  more  carefully  can  one  expect  foster-parents  to  care  for 
children  placed  in  their  charge,  than  do  parents  for  their  own 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  225 

flesh  and  blood?  Will  foster-parents  send  fewer  children  to  make 
up  Judge  DeLacey's  85%  ?  May  some  not  live  in  a  house  where 
one  or  more  of  Mr.  Coulter's  101,000  windowless  rooms  are  lo- 
cated ?  One  foot  of  playground  per  child  is  negligible  as  compared 
to  the  spacious  grounds  of  most  institutions,  and  is  fraught  with 
grave  danger  if  the  crossing  of  car  tracks  and  automobile-driven 
streets  to  gain  access  to  them  be  alone  considered,  to  say  nothing 
of  streets  and  forbidden  premises  used  as  playgrounds.  These 
homes  may  or  may  not  be  religious.  They  may  or  may  not  have 
any  moral  influence  upon  the  children.  A  little  girl  having  sev- 
eral times  violated  the  sanctity  of  a  settlement  house,  by  swearing, 
was  finally  excluded  until  her  father  should  bring  her  back.  When 
they  returned  he  was  told  that  his  little  girl  had  sworn  at  a  boy. 
"Well,  it  was  only  my  brother,"  said  she,  and  the  father  replied : 
"Where  did  you  think  you  was — at  home  ?"  Twenty-five  thousand 
delinquent  children  from  private  homes  are  in  institutions.  What 
amazement  is  caused  by  the  discovery  of  an  orphan  asylum  child 
in  such  an  institution ;  it  happens  fortunately  but  in  rare  instances. 

Over  thirty  years  ago  the  society  which  I  represent  adopted  the 
policy  of  placing  children  in  private  families,  and  with  some  suc- 
cess. In  1887,  however,  the  trustees  found  it  desirable  to  main- 
tain an  orphan  asylum  because  of  the  impossibility  of  finding 
suitable  homes,  and  today  they  believe  as  do  many  others,  that 
selfish  motives  alone  induce  those  families  that  will  consent  to 
take  children  for  a  monetary  consideration,  to  undertake  the  care 
of  them.  They  further  believe  that  such  families  are  not  capable 
of  maintaining  a  proper  intellectual,  moral  or  spiritual  standard 
for  these  children,  for  they  do  not  maintain  one  for  their  own 
children. 

Dr.  Reeder  in  his  book,  "How  200  Children  Live  and  Learn," 
says :  "Any  need  that  is  easily  observed  and  apparent  to  everyone 
is  pretty  sure  to  be  well  looked  after  in  children's  institutions. 
.  .  .  How  capricious  and  accidental  is  the  dietary  of  children 
in  a  majority  of  American  homes.  They  eat  anything  and  every- 
thing they  want  with  little  regulation  as  to  time,  quantity  or 
quality.  They  sleep  when  nature  forces  it  against  the  odds  of 
high  tension  amusements  of  all  sorts  and  play  without  leadership 


226  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   SIXTH 

or  reference  to  what  is  best  for  the  development  of  mind  or  body." 
This  arraignment  would  surely  include  the  homes  where  children 
are  placed;  in  institutions  of  the  better  type  these  matters  are  all 
carefully  considered. 

Every  institution  has  a  competent  medical  staff  at  hand  to 
intercept  any  encroachment  of  disease.  My  institution  has  an 
eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat  specialist,  who  keeps  constant  watch  over 
the  children.  A  dentist  in  the  neighborhood  gives  immediate  at- 
tention to  our  children  and  examines  and  treats  them  semi- 
annually.  The  investigating  committee  from  the  Hebrew  Shel- 
tering Guardian  Society  found  a  number  of  instances  in  which 
the  teeth  of  the  children  required  attention.  This  would  not  be 
likely  to  happen  in  an  institution. 

We  feel  that  in  our  small  orphan  asylum  we  have  some  ad- 
vantages of  the  cottage  system  as  well  as  the  congregate,  for,  after 
all,  the  latter  has  some  compensations.  Besides  this  our  society 
gives  relief  to  needy  families  and  is  often  able  to  keep  the  family 
intact  by  aiding  the  parent  to  help  the  child  without  having  re- 
course to  any  system,  the  natural  home  being  the  best.  If  it  is 
true  as  Dr.  Wolfenstein  suggests,  that  New  York  should  have  ten 
more  small  orphan  asylums  the  inmates  could  be  more  finely 
classified  into  homogeneous  groups,  one  of  which,  for  instance, 
could  be  an  atypical  one.  Furthermore,  the  expense  of  maintaining 
these  various  institutions,  would  be  less  than  an  adequate  cottage 
system  to  care  for  all  children  in  need  of  protection. 

The  best  that  can  be  said  of  the  placing-out  system  is  that  the 
child  may  come  into  close  contact  with  an  attractive  personality, 
and  that  is  not  impossible  in  institutions  of  the  cottage  type — or 
even  congregate  systems.  The  system  is  not  so  important  as  the 
director  of  it,  though  the  director  of  a  cottage  system  has  better 
opportunities  than  the  others.  That  instead  of  a  Wolfenstein,  a 
Bernstein,  or  a  Lowenstein,  we  sometimes  find  a  Frankenstein, 
need  not  disparage  an  entire  system.  New  systems  are  not  so 
much  needed  as  improvements  on  the  old,  and,  above  all,  sincere, 
efficient  workers  who  look  not  so  much  for  a  job  as  for  the  welfare 
of  the  children  with  whom  they  come  in  contact. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  227 

I  believe  that  what  is  possible  in  a  poor  or  mediocre  foster  home 
can  be  attained  in  a  good  institution,  and  more.  It  has  been  said 
of  the  New  York  Orphanage  that  "social  workers  committed  to 
the  conclusion  that  a  good  home  is  always  better  than  an  institu- 
tion, will  see  that  homes  wherein  children  have  a  better  opportunity 
than  is  afforded  them  in  such  a  orphanage  as  this  are  few."  What 
can  be  done  in  an  ideal  home  is  most  decidedly  more  than  is 
possible  in  the  best  conducted  orphan  asylum  that  ever  existed. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  say  that  where  no  institution  exists  for 
their  particular  needs,  atypical  children,  of  all  grades,  may,  under 
present  conditions,  be  advantageously,  if  only  temporarily,  placed 
in  boarding  homes,  since  their  presence  in  the  institution  is  a 
menace  to  normal  children  and  constitutes  the  so-called  institu- 
tional type  so  rapidly  disappearing  from  our  institutions.  To 
these  I  would  add  children  under  school  age.  For  other  normal 
children,  however,  in  view  of  the  dangers  connected  with  the 
placing-out  system,  which  have  been  indicated  in  this  discussion,  if 
it  came  to  adopting  this  system  exclusively  by  a  new  child-caring 
agency,  as  against  that  of  the  cottage  or  congregate  plans,  I  would 
emphatically  urge  the  adoption  of  the  cottage  system,  and  until 
the  dangers  of  the  home-finding  plan  are  removed  the  congregate 
system  can  be  made  to  serve  as  a  fairly  good  alternative. 

MR.  WALDMAN,  New  York :  I  will  ask  the  Chairman  to  let  me 
say  a  word  or  two  in  explanation  of  any  possible  misunderstanding. 
When  Dr.  Wolfenstein  recently  came  to  New  York  I  very  gladly 
accompanied  him,  at  his  request,  to  the  homes  of  pensioned 
widows,  and  I  am  very  frank  to  confess  at  this  time,  as  I  was  at 
that  time,  and  in  very  strong  terms  indeed,  that  I  was  very  much 
dissatisfied  with  the  homes  I  saw.  I  do  not  believe  that  these 
homes  were  in  any  sense  ideal  homes;  in  fact,  in  my  opinion,  they 
were  injurious  to  the  children  who  lived  in  them.  There  is  no 
doubt,  in  my  mind,  and  I  believe  that  all  will  agree  in  this,  that 
the  mother's  home  under  normal  conditions  is  the  best  possible 
home  for  a  child.  It  is  not  a  new  theory,  though  it  has  been 
recently  more  strongly  emphasized.  But  in  New  York  the  situa- 
tion is  peculiar.  There  exists  a  condition  of  congestion  that  is 
not  duplicated  in  any  of  the  other  cities  in  this  country.  Further- 


228  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

more,  the  income  of  the  charities  has  always  been  very  limited, 
with  the  result  that  we  have  been  unable  to  give  adequate  allow- 
ances for  the  care  of  dependent  children.  The  community  there 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  educated  to  a  realization  of  the  fact 
that  children  should  be  as  carefully  nurtured  in  their  mothers' 
homes  as  they  are  in  the  orphan  asylums.  In  our  report  of  1908 
we  call  the  attention  of  the  Jewish  community  to  the  advantages 
which  institutional  children  had  as  against  the  children  who  were 
kept  in  their  mothers'  homes.  Because  of  these  conditions,  I  be- 
lieve that  a  great  many  children  would  be  better  off  in  the  orphan 
asylums  than  where  they  are  at  the  present  time.  Recently  an 
examination  was  made  in  Chicago,  Boston  and  New  York  of  the 
children  of  tuberculous  parents — in  Chicago  by  Dr.  Sachs,  in 
Boston  by  Drs.  Floyd  and  Bowditch  and  in  New  York  by  Drs. 
Miller  and  Woodruff,  and,  as  a  result,  the  remarkable  coincidence 
has  shown  that  from  50  to  53  per  cent,  of  the  children  of  such 
parents  were  suffering  from  active  tuberculosis.  We  have  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  conservatively  speaking,  about  5,000  Jewish 
consumptives.  The  records  of  the  United  Hebrew  Charities  show 
that  there  are  on  an  average  of  300  families  treated  month  by 
month,  in  which  one  or  both  the  parents  are  consumptive.  It  is 
only  fair  to  assume  that  if  an  examination  were  made  of  the 
children  in  these  families  similar  results  would  be  shown.  Of 
the  1,500  children  admitted  and  discharged  from  the  Hebrew 
Sheltering  Guardian  Society  in  the  last  five  or  six  years  only  5 
children  developed  tuberculosis,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  over 
30  per  cent,  of  the  parents  of  the  children  admitted  to  that  institu- 
tion had  died  or  were  suffering  from  the  disease.  In  the  face  of 
such  information,  our  theories  on  the  question  of  child-caring 
must  be  qualified  by  the  conditions  we  find  in  each  different 
community. 

CHAIRMAN  WOLFENSTEIN  :  The  paper  is  now  open  for  discussion. 

MR.  CHESTER  J.  TELLER,  New  Orleans:  The  paper  submitted 
this  morning  has,  I  believe,  been  among  the  most  important  papers 
contributed  to  this  Conference,  treating  of  the  subject,  as  it  does, 
in  a  scientific  manner,  based  upon  facts  rather  than  upon  guesses 
and  opinions. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  229 

In  judging  the  paper  and  its  contents,  two  points  ought  to  be 
especially  stressed.  Firstly,  we  must  consider  conditions  as  they 
exist  in  the  various  communities.  The  conditions  of  living,  the 
problem  of  the  dependent  child,  the  financial  resources  of  a  com- 
munity like  New  York  are  all  one  thing.  In  other  communities 
we  find  very  different  conditions.  Hence  our  conclusions  would 
necessarily  be  quite  different. 

Secondly,  we  must  remember  that  the  homes  used  by  the  New 
York  societies — I  refer  now  to  the  boarding  homes — are  used  for 
two  special  classes  of  dependent  children,  not  for  the  ordinary 
dependent  child,  but  for  the  exceptional  dependent  child.  Under 
this  head  we  refer  to  children  under  six  years  of  age,  because, 
unfortunately,  the  conditions  of  New  York  City  today  do  not 
allow  the  admission  of  all  such  young  children  to  institutions. 

The  second  class  of  children  that  are  cared  for  in  the  boarding 
homes  of  New  York,  under  the  supervision  of  the  Hebrew  Orphan 
Asylum  and  the  Hebrew  Guardian  Society,  are  exceptional  chil- 
dren. They  are  children  who  are  abnormal  or  subnormal,  either 
from  the  standpoint  of  their  physical  or  their  mental  development. 

Now  I  believe  that  this  is  the  strongest  argument  that  can  be 
used  in  favor  of  this  particular  method,  because  it  is  a  recognition 
for  the  first  time — at  least  that  has  been  expressed  in  this  Con- 
ference— of  the  needs  of  the  exceptional  child. 

Heretofore  we  have  either  refused  admission  to  that  child  in 
institutions  or  else  we  have  cared  for  the  child  in  institutions  with- 
out a  special  plan. 

But  this  is  a  recognition  that  the  children  who  are  coming  to 
the  Jewish  child-caring  institutions  of  the  community  are  in  many 
cases  exceptional  children —  subnormal,  abnormal,  defective — and 
that  they  have  special  needs  and  that  they  are  being  cared  for 
in  special  ways,  and  I  believe  that  a  fair  judgment  of  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  boarding-out  system  can  only  be  had  when  we  bear 
that  fact  in  mind. 

MR.  SAUL  DRUCKER,  Chicago:  A  very  peculiar  city  is  New 
York.  The  problems  there  seem  to  be  more  difficult  to  solve  than 
in  a  smaller  community. 


230  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

The  idea  of  keeping  children  with  their  own  mothers  is  that 
which  would  appeal  mostly  to  a  humanitarian.  From  the  report 
here,  it  appears  that  they  abstain  as  much  as  they  can  from  placing 
children  with  their  own  mothers. 

I  heard  a  story  once  of  a  Jew  in  Russia,  who  had  a  boy  about 
fourteen  years  of  age.  The  boy's  birth  was  never  recorded  in 
the  city  government,  and  the  father  being  anxious  to  have  a  record 
made  of  it  asked  a  friend's  advice  whether  to  record  the  age  as 
sixteen  or  twelve.  The  friend  said:  "Why  wouldn't  it  be  more 
advisable  to  record  fourteen  years,  the  correct  age?"  The  answer 
was:  "This  is  something  I  never  thought  of." 

This  may  serve  as  an  illustration  of  the  various  child-caring 
agencies,  which  have  devised  every  possible  means  for  the  proper 
care-taking  of  children,  excepting  the  idea  of  keeping  children 
with  the  mother,  which,  apparently,  is  something  they  never 
thought  of. 

The  modern  methods  practiced  in  institutions  may  be  compared 
to  the  work  of  the  incubator,  with  the  mother  hen  as  a  model. 
The  incubator  was  invented  after  scientists  observed  the  way  the 
hen  treated  the  eggs,  while  hatching  the  chicks.  The  correct 
temperature  was  taken,  and  having  found  out  the  work  of  the 
hen  in  every  particular  the  incubator  came  about,  following  and 
imitating  exactly  the  doings  of  the  mother  hen,  with  the  result 
that  it  is  now  an  improvement  on  the  mother.  The  same  thing 
is  true  with  good  institutions.  We  have  certain  institutions,  so 
well  and  systematically  arranged,  and  perfectly  conducted,  that 
they  are  an  improvement  on  some  private  homes.  In  fact,  the 
institution,  when  doing  its  proper  work,  not  only  cares  for  the 
child,  but  also  is  a  guide  to  the  mother — how  to  properly  and 
scientifically  train  a  child.  For  instance,  the  Marks  Nathan  Jewish 
Orphan  Home  of  Chicago  allows  the  mothers  to  make  frequent 
visits  to  the  children,  permitting  them  to  observe  our  training  and 
management  in  every  detail,  so  that  when  later  the  mother  and 
children  are  reunited  the  former  can  follow  out  the  principles 
instilled,  without  difficulty,  and  prevent  friction.  The  little  diffi- 
culties that  may  arise  when  a  child  is  returned  to  the  mother  may 
be  illustrated  by  the  following:  A  mother  came  to  me  grievously 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  231 

complaining  that  she  could  not  get  along  with  her  boy;  he  abso- 
lutely refused  to  use  the  towel  she  gave  him.  Upon  investigation, 
I  found  that  the  lad  insisted  upon  having  a  towel  for  himself,  and 
would  not  tolerate  the  one  in  common  family  use.  Of  course, 
this  the  mother  couldn't  understand. 

Now,  about  the  boarding-out  system,  or  the  hiring  of  professional 
stepmothers,  New  York  seems  to  be  lucky  in  the  finding  of  proper 
Jewish  homes  for  dependent  children,  but  smaller  communities 
are  certainly  not  so  fortunate.  The  Jewish  Home  Finding  Society 
of  Chicago  was  forced  to  give  Jewish  children  into  non-Jewish 
homes,  because  it  could  not  find  sufficient  Jewish  homes,  where 
the  love  for  strange  children  was  so  developed,  that  a  child  would 
be  given  other  than  stepmotherly  care. 

We  cannot  adopt  the  boarding-out  plan  till  we  succeed  in  edu- 
cating the  Jewish  woman  to  develop  a  love  for  strange  children 
and  treat  them  as  her  own. 

MRS.  HENRY  SOLOMON,  Chicago:  If  the  Chairman  would  call 
on  some  women.  I  want  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the 
problem  so  far  has  been  discussed  by  men  that,  some  of  them 
possibly,  are  unmarried.  The  subject  has  been  discussed  by  the 
bachelors.  I  do  think  some  women  have  some  opinions  on  the 
subject  and  some  have  experience  in  work  that  ought  to  be  told 
here.  Personally,  I  don't  believe  in  incubators  as  an  improvement 
on  the  mother.  If  it  had  been  I  think  the  Lord  Almighty  would 
have  invented  incubators  instead  of  mothers.  The  element  of 
maternal  love  cannot  be  overlooked. 

Every  good  theory  ought  to  work  out  in  fact,  and  there  can  be 
no  question  that  the  home  is  the  proper  place  for  a  child. 

It  doesn't  seem  fair  to  me  to  compare  the  good  institution  with 
the  bad  home  any  more  than  the  bad  institution  with  the  good  home. 

I  have  had  experience  in  both  directions.  There  are  very  great 
evils  in  institutions,  evils  that  are  not  often  touched  upon  before 
a  general  audience.  I  am  perfectly  willing  to  admit  that  we  have 
some  in  which  there  are  no  evils  and  which  are  well  conducted, 
and  in  which  everything  is  good.  But  putting  side  by  side  the 
good  home  and  the  good  institution  there  is  no  question  but  that 
the  home  is  better,  and  putting  side  by  side  the  bad  institution 


232  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE    SIXTH 

and  the  bad  home  there  is  no  question  but  that  the  bad  home  is 
the  better. 

We  have  at  home  women  who  have  had  experience  in  home  find- 
ing work,  who  are  present,  and  can  speak  of  facts.  I  believe  it 
is  difficult  to  find  enough  homes  to  go  around,  but  they  can  be 
found. 

A  gentleman — I  don't  know  whether  he  is  a  bachelor  or  not — 
said  the  question  of  sentiment  didn't  play  any  part.  I  think  it 
plays  a  big  part  when  it  comes  to  children.  I  don't  think  you  can 
educate  without  sentiment,  because  sentiment  has  so  much  to  do 
with  proper  bringing  up  of  children. 

I  call  to  mind  a  very  young  woman  who  refused  to  go  to  the 
hospital  because  she  feared  she  couldn't  get  her  children  back. 
She  was  assured  she  would  get  them.  She  insisted  upon  bringing 
up  her  own  children.  I  met  her  some  weeks  ago;  I  couldn't 
remember  the  incident,  but  she  did,  and  told  me  that  she  and  her 
children  had  never  been  separated,  and  now  they  were  caring  for 
her.  That  is  not  sentiment;  that  is  a  fact. 

The  separating  of  mother  and  children  and  putting  the  children 
in  institutions  in  many  instances  is  most  cruel.  I  personally  feel 
that  there  is  no  argument  that  can  be  brought  in  favor  of  institu- 
tions as  against  the  good  home. 

It  is  very  often  a  question  of  the  support  of  the  mother.  This 
method  is  no  experiment;  the  institution  is  an  experiment,  and 
very  often  it  is  not  a  successful  experiment. 

I  hope  the  Conference  will  go  on  record  as  in  favor  of  the 
more  modern  plan  of  boarding  in  the  homes.  Much  might  be 
said  for  and  against  these  stepmothers,  but  I  do  hope  the  people 
in  cities  where  it  has  been  tried  may  say  a  word  about  it. 

Miss  MINNIE  F.  Low,  Chicago:  A  statement  has  been  made 
this  morning  by  our  friend  from  Chicago,  Mr.  Drucker,  so  un- 
called for  and  unwarranted,  that  we  must,  in  justice  to  ourselves, 
refute  it.  I  am  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Jewish 
Home  Finding  Society  of  Chicago.  We  have  been  accused  of 
placing  Jewish  children  in  non-Jewish  homes.  The  only  occasions 
on  which  we  do  this  is  when  we  have  young  infants  afflicted  with 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  233 

infectious  diseases.  Most  of  these  infants  are  sick  from  the  time 
of  their  birth,  and  are  in  need  of  such  special  care  and  nursing 
as  the  few  non-Jewish  women  we  have  on  our  list  can  give  them. 
Three  of  these  women  are  practical  nurses,  qualified  to  care  for 
delicate  infants. 

There  is  no  phase  of  philanthropic  endeavor  fraught  with 
greater  responsibility  than  that  of  child-placing.  To  raise  money 
from  a  charitably  inclined  public,  and  to  spend  it  wisely,  is  indeed 
a  great  social  trust.  This  trust,  however,  grows  insignificant  in 
the  face  of  one  directly  responsible  for  the  well-being  of  little 
children,  and  for  their  physical,  moral,  mental  and  spiritual 
development. 

We  have  all  heard  of  the  unsatisfactory  effects  of  insufficient 
relief-giving.  We  give  our  widows  and  deserted  women  a  small 
pension,  never  enough;  a  little  clothing  now  and  then,  never 
enough;  we  make  of  the  365  days  of  a  year  a  continuous  struggle 
for  existence,  and  yet  we  expect  these  women  to  bring  up  their 
children  properly,  and  we  expect  the  children  to  grow  up  into  the 
best  type  of  citizenship. 

I  believe  in  the  home  for  a  child  every  time,  but  it  must  be 
the  right  sort  of  home,  and  in  the  right  neighborhood.  In  Chicago 
we  insist  that  the  widows  whom  we  compensate  move  into  the 
better  neighborhoods.  We  do  not  give  them  $15.00  per  month, 
as  the  relief  agencies  now  give  them,  but  we  give  them  as  much 
as  $50.00  per  month,  the  amount  depending  upon  the  size  of  the 
family.  In  one  case  we  are  allowing  a  widow  with  four  children 
$50.00.  We  saw  her  last  week,  and  she  expressed  herself  as  being 
"the  happiest  mother  in  Chicago."  The  principal  of  the  school, 
which  the  children  attend,  wrote  us  a  letter,  unsolicited,  speaking 
of  the  splendid  condition  in  which  the  children  are  kept,  and  say- 
ing that  the  Home  Finding  Society  was  doing  for  this  family 
what  all  the  institutions  in  the  world  could  not  do — giving  the 
mother  the  benefit  of  her  children's  love  and  society,  and  giving 
the  children  a  mother's  devotion  and  care. 

We  do  not  permit  our  compensated  mothers  to  go  out  to  work. 
They  can  supplement  their  incomes  by  doing  some  work  in  their 
homes,  especially  while  the  children  are  at  school,  but  further  than 


234  PROCEEDINGS  OF   THE   SIXTH 

this  it  is  a  condition  imposed  upon  them  that  they  do  not  leave  the 
home  nor  the  children  to  add  to  their  incomes. 

We  find  it  is  after  all  not  the  best  plan  to  separate  a  mother 
from  her  children  even  temporarily.  The  mother,  being  relieved 
of  the  care  of  a  home  and  children  grows  timid  about  reassuming 
the  burden  and  responsibility.  One  woman,  whose  children  had 
been  in  the  institution  for  nearly  two  years,  when  told  she  must 
remove  them  and  establish  a  home  with  compensation  of  $35.00 
per  month,  said:  "I  can't  take  care  of  my  children;  I  am  afraid 
to  try  it.  If  you  had  offered  me  this  amount  when  my  husband 
first  died,  when  for  days  I  walked  about  the  building  in  which 
my  children  were  put,  just  to  see  the  place  that  held  them,  I  would 
have  been  a  very  happy  mother,  but  now  my  courage  is  gone." 
It  took  weeks  of  coaxing  before  this  mother  made  up  her  mind 
to  take  her  children. 

In  the  matter  of  boarding  homes,  we  also  pay  sufficient  to  get 
the  right  kind  of  homes,  in  the  better  quarters  of  the  city.  We 
pay  on  an  average  of  $15.00  per  month  for  older  children  and 
$12.00  per  month  for  the  younger  children.  Our  homes  are  all 
neat,  attractive  and  well  kept.  The  women  who  have  charge  of  our 
children  are  motherly,  and  are  intensely  interested  in  their  little 
charges. 

We  have  placed  thirty-five  children  for  adoption  in  splendid 
homes.  Some  of  these  are  in  homes  of  affluence,  others  in  the 
more  humble  abodes.  Dr.  Wolfenstein,  who  visited  us  last  week 
in  Chicago,  and  saw  some  of  our  boarding  and  permanent  homes, 
expressed  himself  as  well  satisfied  with  our  selections. 

We  intend  to  go  slow  but  sure  in  Chicago.  There  is  a  move- 
ment on  foot  to  remove  children  from  the  Orphans'  Home,  and  to 
permit  their  mothers  to  care  for  them.  What  can  be  done  in  the 
city  of  Chicago  can  doubtlessly  be  done  in  smaller  communities. 
We  cannot  speak  of  the  Chicago  work  and  the  New  York  work  in 
the  same  breath.  New  York  has  problems  so  overwhelming  that 
we  are  not  justified  in  drawing  comparisons. 

MR.  JACOB  BASHEIN,  New  York :  When  I  came  to  the  National 
Conference  it  was  with  the  intention  of  listening  particularly 
to  the  discussion  of  the  subject  of  "Boarding  and  Placing  Out 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CPIARITIES.  235 

Jewish  Dependent  Children  With  Private  Families."  My  desire 
was  to  find  out  the  best  method  of  caring  for  children  under 
the  age  of  nine  years.  Considerable  has  already  been  said  against 
the  method  of  boarding  children  with  private  families,  and  so  far 
I  am  not  convinced  that  institutions  on  the  congregate  plan  are 
the  proper  places  for  young  children. 

It  strikes  me  as  odd  that  the  gentlemen  who  are  so  strongly 
in  favor  of  the  congregate  plan  admit  that  they  have  no  personal 
knowledge  of  the  boarding  method,  excepting  what  they  have 
learned  from  an  article  by  Dr.  Wolfenstein.  The  arguments  in 
this  article  have  since  been  refuted  by  Dr.  Bernstein,  who,  un- 
fortunately, owing  to  illness,  is  unable  to  be  with  us  today.  Had 
the  advocates  of  the  congregate  plan  taken  the  trouble  to  investi- 
gate and  study  the  problem  of  the  boarding  system  for  young 
children  they  would,  I  am  sure,  stand  here  today  as  advocates  of 
the  boarding-out  plan,  instead  of  opposing  it. 

Some  people  referred  to  the  boarding  method  as  an  experiment, 
but  you  will  permit  me,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  to  tell  you  that 
so  far  as  the  Hebrew  Sheltering  Guardian  Society  is  concerned — 
who,  by  the  way,  conduct  the  largest  Boarding  Bureau  for  Jewish 
Dependent  Children  in  this  country — it  has  long  passed  the 
experimental  stage.  This  will  best  be  illustrated  by  the  fact  that 
during  the  Bureau's  existence  for  the  short  period  of  five  years 
nearly  1,100  children  were  taken  care  of  to  great  advantage. 
Among  these  were  a  great  number  of  children  who  were  formerly 
in  Jewish  and  non-Jewish  institutions  on  the  congregate  plan, 
but  who  failed  to  thrive.  Many  of  these  children  improved  con- 
siderably after  a  brief  stay  in  a  private  home. 

I  am  sorry  I  have  not  with  me  some  data  of  the  weights  and 
measurements  taken  by  our  physician,  Dr.  Gershel,  pointing  out 
the  enormous  gains  that  the  children  have  made  within  brief 
periods  in  the  private  home. 

I  feel  it  would  be  underestimating  the  intelligence  of  the  dele- 
gates were  I  to  describe  the  advantages  of  the  private  home  and 
the  necessity  of  individual  care  for  young  children.  Who  will 
dispute  the  fact  that  the  private  home,  which  is  the  nearest  to  the 
parent's  home,  is  not  the  proper  place  for  a  young  child?  The 


236  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

affection  and  the  tender  care  even  in  the  poorest  home  gives  the 
necessary  sunshine  for  the  growth  of  the  child.  No  congregate 
institution — even  Dr.  Wolfenstein's — can  give  the  individual  at- 
tention to  a  child  which  the  same  child  will  receive  in  a  private 
home.  But  the  opponents  of  the  boarding  method  say:  How  can 
you  find  desirable  homes  in  fine  localities,  like  cottages  in  the  out- 
lying districts,  etc.,  for  the  insignificant  sum  of  $2.00  per  week? 
My  answer  to  this  is  that  we  really  cannot  find  very  wealthy 
families  who  will  take  children  in  board,  nor  can  we  find  many 
families  living  in  private  cottages,  but  we  do  find  many  good  Jew- 
ish homes  located  in  light  and  sanitary  quarters  in  the  less  con- 
gested sections  in  New  York  City.  The  following  table  will  show 
the  large  number  of  applications  which  the  society  had  to  select 
from: 

Applications  received  since  July,  1905 1,572 

Of  this  number  received  offering  free  homes  there  were. . .  .  192 
Of  this  number  received  offering  boarding  homes  there  were.  .1,380 

Of  this  number  for  free  homes,  rejected 127 

Of  this  number  for  boarding  homes,  rejected 1,100 

The  above  applications  are  on  file  with  this  society. 

The  reason  that  this  vast  number  of  applications  were  rejected 
was  not  because  of  undesirability,  but  rather  for  the  reason  that 
the  number  of  children  that  our  society  places  in  boarding  homes 
is  for  the  present  time  limited  to  300,  an  arrangement  which  is 
entirely  dependent  on  material  circumstances. 

The  calibre  of  our  mothers  as  was  clearly  pointed  out  to  you 
by  Messrs.  Bressler  and  Waldman,  who  made  a  craeful  and  ex- 
haustive study  of  our  homes,  is  equal  to  the  best  Jewish  mother; 
every  one  of  our  homes  is  a  better  home  than  the  one  from  which 
the  child  has  come.  Our  homes  are  regularly  supervised  by  agents 
and  a  trained  nurse;  the  children  are  frequently  examined  by  our 
physician;  our  homes  are  open  at  all  times  to  the  inspection  of 
the  city  officials  and  to  the  public. 

Our  loss  by  death  during  the  past  five  years  was  three  children, 
and  the  illness  in  the  homes  is  proportionately  small. 

The  reason  why  most  of  our  applicants  apply  for  a  child  is  a 
desire  for  the  companionship  of  such  child.  Some  have  never  had 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  237 

any  children  of  their  own  and  others  have  lost  their  children. 
In  these  families  instead  of  the  child  becoming  a  burden  it  brings 
sunshine  and  happiness  to  the  home. 

If  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  wi]l  make  an  effort  to  learn  more 
about  the  advantages  and  value  of  the  boarding  method  you  will, 
I  am  sure,  establish  similar  agencies  in  your  own  cities  and  so 
avoid  the  necessity  of  transporting  children  hundreds  of  miles  away 
to  an  orphan  asylum  in  a  distant  city;  this  always  entails  the 
separation  of  the  child  from  its  relatives,  with  its  subsequent 
hardships. 

CHAIRMAN  WOLFENSTEIN  :  Kindly  excuse  me  for  taking  up 
about  two  minutes  of  your  time  in  this  discussion.  I  did  not 
want  to  do  it,  but  there  has  been  a  statement  made  by  a  lady  from 
Chicago  that  most  of  the  institutions  are  bad,  and  I  deny  that  most 
emphatically.  There  is  no  Jewish  orphan  asylum  in  this  country 
that  is  bad. 

There  was  another  statement  made  to  the  effect  that  the  orphan 
asylum  is  an  experiment,  that  to  place  the  child  in  the  home  is 
the  proper  thing.  I  want  to  say  that  is  wrong.  The  work  of  the 
orphan  asylum  is  no  experiment.  The  results  of  the  orphan  asylum 
are  complete  for  the  last  fifty  years ;  their  work  stands  out  promi- 
nently. In  the  paper  read  it  has  been  acknowledged  that  there 
was  no  certainty  about  the  outcome  of  the  boarding-out  plan  of 
orphans.  This  is  an  admission  that  the  same  is  considered  an 
experiment.  I  say  to  you  that  there  is  no  man  in  the  world  who 
has  a  right  to  experiment  with  a  child. 

MRS.  SOLOMON  :  I  did  not  mean  to  say  that  the  orphan  asy- 
lums were  bad,  but  that  the  good  home  was  better  than  the  best 
orphan  asylum. 

DR.  MAX  LANDSBERG,  Kochester:  I  say  the  same  thing.  I  am 
in  full  sympathy  with  the  ladies  from  Chicago. 

Those  who  are  managers  of  institutions  are  generally  opposed 
to  boarding  out  children.  I  was,  therefore,  particularly  pleased 
to  hear  Dr.  Bernstein  take  up  the  cause  of  placing  children  in 
homes.  I  am  not  influenced  by  either  one  or  the  other  considera- 


5J38  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

tion,  but  I  have  studied  this  question  for  years,  year  after  year, 
not  only  theoretically,  but  practically.  I  have  long  been  closely 
connected  with  orphan  asylums,  and  I  have  always  held,  and  always 
succeed  in  persuading  my  committee  wherever  it  was  possible  to 
assist  a  widowed  mother  so  lavishly  that  she  could  well  take  care 
of  her  own  children. 

Now  there  is  only  one  thing  I  want  to  ask  the  gentleman  from 
San  Francisco :  He  says  the  women  are  not  competent  to  bring  up 
their  children.  Were  they  more  competent  when  their  husbands 
were  alive? 

Would  you  approve  of  sending  into  every  household  in  the 
community  an  inspector  to  find  out  whether  the  father  and  mother 
are  fit  to  take  care  of  their  children?  It  is  certainly  true  that 
many  well-to-do  fathers  and  mothers  are  less  competent  to  take 
care  of  their  children  than  the  poorest. 

I  want  now  to  give  an  experience  in  placing  children  of  widowed 
mothers  in  orphan  asylums,  which  we  have  done  in  a  number  of 
instances. 

These  children  were  well  cared  for.  They  had  much  better 
places  than  they  have  in  their  mothers'  homes.  They  had  much 
better  food.  These  children  had  been  taken  care  of  for  six,  seven 
or  eight  years,  and  when  they  came  out  of  the  institutions  they 
refused  to  live  with  the  mother  because  she  could  not  give  them 
the  same  beautiful  accommodations  they  had  enjoyed  at  the  or- 
phan asylum. 

I  claim  the  time  will  come,  in  less  than  twenty-five  years,  when 
orphan  asylums  will  not  cease  to  exist,  but  when  orphan  asylums 
will  not  be  a  boarding  school,  as  considered  by  many  people,  but 
when  they  will  be  a  temporary  abode,  and  as  soon  as  a  good  home 
is  found  the  child  will  be  taken  out  of  the  orphan  asylum  and  put 
into  the  home.  It  is  my  experience  that  it  is  only  a  question  of 
money.  If  you  pay  enough  you  can  always  find  good  homes. 

CHAIRMAN  WOLFENSTEIN  :  The  Chair  declares  this  discussion 
closed,  and  calls  upon  Mr.  Teller  to  read  his  paper. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OP   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  239 

SPECIAL  EDUCATION  FOR  JEWISH  DEPENDENT  CHIL- 
DREN WITH  PARTICULAR  REFERENCE  TO  INDUS- 
TRIAL AND  TECHNICAL  TRAINING. 

By  CHESTER  JACOB  TELLER, 
Superintendent  Jewish  Orphan  Asylum, 

NEW  ORLEANS,  LA. 

It  is  no  vague  thesis  in  general  education  that  we  are  asked  to 
unfold  this  morning.  It  is  to  the  instruction,  the  special  instruc- 
tion, of  the  Jewish  dependent  child  that  this  paper  is  addressed, 
more  particularly  to  that  phase  of  Jewish  orphan  education  which 
is  nowadays  termed  industrial  training. 

We  venture  at  the  very  outset  to  raise  the  question :  "Why  should 
there  be  any  special  education  of  the  Jewish  orphan  child  ?"  Why 
is  not  general  educational  theory  valid  for  all  children  alike  ?  The 
answer  to  such  questions  is  this:  The  problem  of  the  education 
of  the  Jewish  dependent  child  is  a  special  problem,  because,  firstly, 
he  is  a  Jewish  child  and  Jewish  education  is  always  a 
matter  of  special  study;  secondly,  the  unnatural  fact  of 
his  being  orphaned  or  dependent  early  in  life  usually  means,  when 
analyzed,  that  he  is  the  offspring  of  a  weak  or  weakened  physical 
stock,  and,  thirdly,  the  fact  that  he  is  dependent  usually  means, 
when  analyzed,  that  he  will  not  have  the  average  opportunity  of 
being  gradually  introduced  to  the  realities  of  modern  life,  an  oppor- 
tunity which  comes  to  most  children  of  normal  parentage ;  but  that 
he  will  suddenly  be  placed  upon  his  own  resources,  usually  at  about 
the  age  of  16  years,  expected  to  meet  the  responsibilities  which  real 
life  in  a  world  of  men  imposes.  For  these  three  reasons,  then, 
because  he  is  a  Jew,  because  he  is  usually  physically  weak  or  sub- 
normal, because  his  preparation  for  independence  must  be  crowded 
into  a  maximum  of  10  years,  we  have  in  the  education  of  the 
Jewish  dependent  child  a  special  problem  in  education. 

These  are  not  theories,  but  facts,  and  facts  which  must  be  faced 
as  they  are.  The  fact  that  our  children  are  in  every  case  Jews 
and  that  we  are  of  the  same  faith  when  translated  into  educational 
need  means  that  we  are  dealing  with  the  definite  problem  of  Jewish 


240  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

religious  education.  Understand  me,  I  do  not  here  make  argument 
for  those  effete  and  unpedagogical  methods  in  religious  training,  by 
which  the  Jewish  orphan  child  is  victimized  with  all  the  formal 
stuff  that  he  can  be  made  to  swallow.  The  Jewish  orphan  is  not 
to  be  made  what  someone  has  so  aptly  termed  a  "Versuchs- 
Kaninchen."  But  I  argue  for  the  glow  and  warmth  of  Jewish 
life,  for  the  genuine  love  of  its  history,  its  literature,  its  culture,  its 
ideals,  for  the  ceremonial  life  of  the  Jew,  which  nurtures  self- 
respect  and  brings  him  to  his  past.  Jewish  history  and  literature, 
Jewish  culture  and  Jewish  life,  are  pregnant  with  educational 
possibilities  which  have  never  been  fully  developed,  which  have 
indeed  been  seldom  even  realized.  Nor  will  they  either  until  the 
fervent  love  of  the  task  and  the  pedagogical  insight  are  combined 
with  the  opportunity  to  execute  and  apply  them.  Unfortunately, 
the  opportunity  for  the  special  education  of  its  wards  has  come  to 
but  a  few  of  our  Jewish  orphanages,  and  it  is  noteworthy  that 
in  those  which  conduct  or  control  their  own  schools  the  splendid 
possibilities  for  the  development  of  Jewish  subject  matter  and  its 
correlation  with  the  general  secular  subject  matter  have  never  once 
been  realized  or  understood.  All  of  which  proves  that  it  is  not 
enough  that  we  educate  our  orphans  under  our  own  auspices  and 
control.  We  need  far  more  effective  methods  of  bringing  home  to 
them  the  beauty,  the  truth  and  the  power  of  our  faith. 

The  second  elemental  fact  with  which  we  must  reckon  is  the 
stock  from  which  our  Jewish  dependent  children  are  recruited. 
Now  it  is  far  from  my  intention  to  underrate  the  vigor  and  the 
sturdiness  of  the  Jewish  lineage,  but  anyone  who  has  studied  even 
superficially  the  causes  of  dependency  among  Jewish  children 
knows  that  tuberculosis  and  nervous  degeneracy  in  one  form  or 
another  are  together  responsible  for  the  major  portion  of  the 
orphans  and  half-orphans  among  us.  While  it  has  been  definitely 
established  that  none  of  these  diseases  is  hereditary,  we  know  full 
well  that  they  result  in  a  general  weakness  in  the  offspring,  often, 
indeed,  amounting  to  a  predisposition  toward  the  parent's  ailment. 
It  is  not  to  be  gainsaid  that  the  majority  of  the  applicants  to  our 
orphanages,  when  examined,  are  found  to  be  either  physically  sub- 
normal or  at  least  suffering  from  general  weakness  or  special  defect. 


NATIOXAL   CONFERENCE    OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  241 

Under  such  circumstances,  it  is  not  enough  that  we  clothe  them 
decently  and  provide  three  good  meals  a  day  and  a  comfortable  bed. 
This  is  not  an  ordinary  problem  in  physical  care,  but  a  special 
problem  in  physical  education.  It  calls  for  a  constructive  health 
program.  It  means  that  we  measure  our  results  not  by  the  amount 
of  illness  we  can  cure  or  even  prevent,  but  by  the  amount  of  positive 
health  vigor  and  physical  efficiency  we  can  create.  It  means  that 
we  are  first  to  ascertain  by  special  test  and  examination  the  follow- 
ing information: 

1.  What  number  of  children  have  defective  teeth? 

2.  What  number  have  defective  eyes? 

3.  What  number  show  diseases  of  the  skin  or  scalp  ? 

4.  What  number  show  weakness  or  defect  of  a  vital  or  repro- 
ductive organ? 

5.  What  percentage  of  children  have  adenoids,  poor  hearing, 
swollen  tonsils,  chronic  conditions  of  ear,  nose  or  throat? 

6.  What  percentage  of  the  children  indicate  orthopaedic  defects, 
such  as  flat  foot,  hip  deformities  or  spinal  curvature. 

7.  How  many  of  the  children  show  traces  of  tuberculosis,  im- 
purities or  casts  in  the  urine,  impurities  of  blood,  anaemia,  in- 
testinal   parasites,   such   as   tapeworm,    pinworm,   hookworm    and 
the  like. 

8.  What   number  of  the   children   are   mentally   defective   or 
atypical  ? 

These  eight  tests  call  for  the  services  of  specialists.  They  involve 
a  carefully  arranged  system  of  physical  charts  and  health  records. 
They  make  necessary  the  presence  of  a  resident  physician  or  a 
resident  trained  nurse  in  every  institution  for  the  care  of  dependent 
children,  and  they  presuppose,  when  undertaken  with  any  degree 
of  sincerity,  the  following  educational  features: 

1.  A  carefully  prepared  dietary,  based  upon  common  sense,  the 
ages  of  the  children,  changes  in  season,  climate,  etc.     The  use  of 
coffee  as  food  for  young  children  is  questionable  common  sense. 

2.  A  special  dietary  for  undeveloped  and  anaemic  children. 

3.  A  program  of  play  under  the  care  of  a  director,  whose  busi- 
ness it  is  to  initiate  new  games  and  encourage  the  play  spirit,  rather 
than  to  organize  and  engineer  every  play  effort. 


242  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

4.  A  separate  clinic  for  the  daily  treatment  of  chronic  ailments 
and  minor  troubles. 

5.  A  dental  clinic  for  the  regular  and  systematic  attention 
of  the  teeth. 

6.  An  outdoor  playground  and  an  indoor  gymnasium  for  con- 
structive and  correctional  development. 

7.  A  rigid  inspection  and  care  of  hair  and  scalps. 

8.  An    ungraded   class    under   the   supervision   of    a   teacher 
specially  trained  in  the  latest  methods  of  the  psychological  clinic, 
with  respect  to  arrested  and  retarded  development  in  children. 

The  third  and  last  cardinal  point  in  Jewish  orphan  education 
is  the  fact  that  the  orphan,  not  the  exceptional,  but  the  average 
orphan,  needs  a  training  which  will  equip  him  as  well  as  it  possibly 
can  for  an  independent  career  at  the  age  of  16  or  17  years.  This 
does  not  imply  any  disapproval  of  the  higher  education  of  the 
orphan.  On  the  contrary,  we  believe  that  this  tendency  should 
be  encouraged  wherever  warranted  by  individual  cepacities.  Such 
a  policy,  however,  applies  only  to  the  exceptional  case  and  does 
not  in  the  least  vitiate  the  rule.  Stated  in  other  terms,  then,  our 
problem  is  as  follows :  How  can  we  best  develop  in  the  dependent 
child  the  character,  maturity,  and  responsibility,  the  general  in- 
telligence and  the  specific  ability  successfully  to  meet  the  demands 
of  a  modern  industrial  era?  Our  common  educational  formulas 
may  be  all  well  and  good  with  respect  to  the  ordinary  child  of  the 
normal  home,  whose  burdens  are  often  placed  upon  him  only  as  fast 
as  he  is  ready  to  carry  them,  but  the  orphan  child,  as  a  rule,  has 
no  alternative.  He  must  be  prepared.  The  fact  that  he  has  a 
mother  or  father  living  sometimes  makes  his  task  a  little  lighter, 
but  just  as  often  has  the  very  opposite  effect.  With  very  few 
exceptions,  the  child  must  be  equipped  with  the  intelligence  neces- 
sary for  an  economically  independent  life  in  the  great  industrial 
world.  He  must  have,  in  fine,  industrial  training.  Now,  defining 
industrial  training,  therefore,  as  industrial  intelligence,  as  prepara- 
tion for  industrial  efficiency,  then  manifestly  anything  that  min- 
isters to  the  childs  industrial  needs  is  comprised  in  the  term 
industrial  education. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  243 

Let  us  ascertain,  if  we  can,  the  chief  elements  in  industrial 
intelligence. 

Industrial  life  is,  in  the  first  place,  communal  or  co-operative 
life,  social  life,  if  you  will.  It  gives  rise  to  certain  social  or  com- 
munity relations,  relations  of  the  individual  to  the  group,  relations 
between  individuals  and  relations  between  smaller  groups  of  in- 
dividuals. Industrial  life  is,  in  short,  a  life  of  obligations  and 
interrelations;  it  is,  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  word,  a  moral 
or  an  ethical  life.  Industrial  intelligence  should  include  a  knowl- 
edge, then,  of  the  ethical  aspect  of  the  industrial  world. 

But  industrial  training  involves  more  than  ethical  training.  The 
trained  or  skilled  industrial  worker  must  possess  a  general  intel- 
ligence as  a  basis  for  the  special  knowledge  of  his  trade  or  vocation. 
He  needs  such  capacities,  for  example,  as  initiative,  painstaking- 
ness,  judgment,  foresight,  co-operation.  He  needs,  too,  a  general 
knowledge  of  wealth  and  its  meaning,  of  its  production,  its  distribu- 
tion and  consumption,  he  must  know  something  of  tools  and  tool 
processes.  But  industrial  intelligence  is  more  than  this.  It  is 
ethical  and  general  intelligence  plus.  And  by  that  plus  quantity 
we  understand  technical  and  vocational  intelligence,  that  phase  of 
education,  be  it  mechanical,  commercial  or  professional,  which  is 
directly  employed  in  the  making  of  one's  livelihood.  When  closely 
scrutinized,  therefore,  it  will  be  seen  that  our  need  of  industrial 
training  is  not  one,  but  three,  a  carefully  thought-out  system  of 
moral  discipline  (what  the  Germans  call  "Zucht"),  a  specially  pre- 
pared curriculum  and  method  for  the  general  branches  and  a 
definite  program  of  vocational  training  adapted  in  each  case  to 
individual  tastes  and  inclinations. 

An  analysis  of  these  throe  needs  brings  us  to  the  end  of  our  study. 

Returning  then  to  what  we  have  called  the  need  of  a  moral 
discipline,  let  us  develop  that  thought.  I  contend  that  the  dis- 
cipline in  vogue  in  the  generality  of  our  asylums  today,  and  usually 
known  as  the  monitorial  system,  is  a  non-moral  system ;  non-moral 
because  it  is  non-social,  non-industrial;  non-moral  because  it  is 
unrelated  to  the  discipline  which  latter  life  exacts.  I  know  it  may 
be  argued  that  children  need  some  tangible  evidence  of  authority, 
that  they  cannot  grasp  the  conception  of  self-imposed  restraint,  and 


244  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

this  argument  deserves  our  respect  whenever  made  on  behalf  of 
the  average  child  of  average  parents.  However,  so  long  as  we  deal 
not  with  such  children,  but  with  orphans,  and  so  long  as  we  send 
our  orphans  into  the  great  modern  industrial  life,  at  the  average 
age  of  16  years,  it  behooves  us  to  find  fitter  preparation  for  them 
along  the  lines  of  ethical  or  social  training.  Fortunately,  we  find 
in  the  very  condition  which  the  institution  imposes  great  possibili- 
ties for  the  creation  of  a  completely  moral  or  social  atmosphere. 
The  vast  numbers  with  which  we  deal  (in  some  of  our  institutions 
exceeding  1,000  children),  heretofore  presenting  the  greatest  dif- 
ficulty from  the  standpoint  of  character  building  now  provide  our 
finest  conditions,  our  best  material  for  an  effective  scheme  of  social 
education.  The  very  condition  which  creates  the  need  also  fur- 
nishes the  solution.  As  a  result,  we  have  recently  seen  developed 
in  child-caring  work,  and,  especially  in  Jewish  child-caring  work,  a 
movement  away  from  the  autocratic  monitorial  system  in  favor 
of  a  more  democratic  self-governing  plan.  This  latter  plan  is  far 
more  difficult  to  work  with,  requires  far  more  time  and  patience 
on  the  part  of  administrators,  but  has  proved  to  be,  in  the  hands  of 
wise  and  tactful  directors,  a  vast  improvement  over  any  other  plan. 
The  duties  and  obligations  of  our  democratic  society  can  be  learned 
only  by  participating  in  it.  Under  the  plan  of  modified  self- 
government  as  now  conducted  in  some  Jewish  child-caring  institu- 
tions, a  miniature  community  is  established,  a  community  in  which 
each  individual  member  is  gradually  introduced  to  the  most  im- 
portant concepts  of  industrial  life,  self-imposed  restraint,  civic  or 
community  pride,  subordination  of  the  individual  interests  to 
group  interests,  co-operative  effort  or  team  work  and  responsibility 
to  authority  vested  in  duly  elected  officers.  After  five  or  ten  years 
spent  in  such  an  environment  the  dependent  child  is  practically 
prepared  for  the  duties  of  communal  life.  There  is  no  danger  that 
he  be  dazzled  and  bewildered  by  the  sudden  freedom  from  restraint, 
coupled  with  new  and  difficult  burdens.  Both  the  freedom  and 
the  burdens  are  well  known  to  him.  He  has  lived  a  communal 
life,  in  which  he  has  learned  responsibility  and  self-restraint,  both 
of  them  invaluable  elements  in  the  preparation  for  industrial  life. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  245 

The  second  aspect  of  industrial  education  is  the  general  intel- 
ligence, which  all  special  intelligence  presupposes.  Too  much  stress 
cannot  be  laid  upon  this  side  of  our  problem,  for  there  can  be 
no  such  thing  as  an  industrially  efficient  man  or  woman  who  has 
not  first  been  equipped  with  a  substratum  of  general  knowledge. 
That  plan  so  much  in  vogue  in  the  orphan  education  of  the  day,  by 
which  a  child  is  taken  out  of  his  grade  at  the  age  of  12  or  13  and 
put  into  the  laundry  school,  or  the  machine-operating  class,  or  the 
millinery  class,  or  the  printing  class,  is  not  industrial  education, 
but  industrial  stupidity.  The  boy  who  leaves  his  sixth-grade  studies 
each  afternoon  to  assume  the  duties  of  janitor,  or  the  girl  who 
neglects  her  studies  to  take  up  vocational  training  in  the  sewing- 
room,  will  make  neither  good  janitors  nor  good  seamstresses.  All 
industrial  training  in  this  narrow  sense  presupposes  the  general 
intelligence  gained  in  the  elemental-}'  grades. 

The  consensus  of  opinion  among  students  is  that  this  general 
education  should  continue  at  least  up  to  the  fourteenth  birthday. 
Among  Jewish  children,  a  large  number  have  completed  the  entire 
eight  grades  of  the  elementary  school  by  that  time.  However  that 
may  be,  the  graded  curriculum  should  be  arranged  with  a  view  to 
industrial  values  always.  In  geography,  emphasis  should  be  laid 
on  the  commercial  and  economic  sides,  history  should  be  industrial 
largely,  arithmetic  should  be  taught  in  closer  relation  to  modern 
business  practice.  As  tlie  child  grows  older  he  should  become  more 
and  more  acquainted  with  the  methods  and  processes  of  modern 
industry,  his  entire  school  course  must  be  based  on  real  conditions 
of  life,  his  own  life,  if  you  will,  and,  most  important  of  all,  the 
manual  and  domestic  arts  must  receive  attention  from  the  very 
first  year.  Moreover,  for  Jewish  children,  especially  of  those  of 
Yiddish-speaking  communities,  education  in  German  in  the 
elementary  school  is  valuable.  Industrial  efficiency  is  often  as 
much  a  matter  of  linguistic  as  of  manual  skill,  unless  we  view  it 
in  that  narrow  way,  which  confines  it  to  carpentering,  plumbing, 
millinery,  sewing  and  the  like. 

All  this  entails  an  entire  renovation  of  the  average  curriculum. 
It  means  a  complete  overhauling  of  methods  and  matter  now  in 
use.  Too  long  have  we  been  dressing  the  orphan  with  the  cast-off 


246  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

clothes  of  others.  Similarly  we  have  reached  the  time  when  the 
Jewish  orphan  is  to  have  an  education  to  fit  him,  not  the  educa- 
tional misfit  with  which  he  has  been  trained  these  many  years. 

After  six  to  eight  years  (varying  according  to  the  child)  of 
such  general  training,  during  which  a  broad  general  intelligence 
has  been  imparted,  he  is  ready  for  the  third  element  in  his  industrial 
training,  the  technical  element.  Nor  do  I  use  this  word  "technical" 
in  the  narrow  sense,  as  it  is  used  in  our  so-called  technical  schools, 
but  rather  as  a  synonym  for  vocational,  and,  I  compromise  under 
it  therefore,  any  special  or  vocational  training  which  can  be  im- 
parted in  two  or  three  years,  such  as  bookkeeping,  stenography 
and  typewriting,  manicuring  and  hair-dressing,  agriculture, 
millinery,  machine-operating,  designing,  cutting,  printing  and  the 
like.  To  state  the  relative  values  of  these  different  vocations  would 
be  to  engage  in  a  purely  academic  study.  From  a  large  number 
of  reports  collected  from  various  institutions,  I  have  concluded 
that  any  such  classification  would  be  futile.  I  approach  the  ques- 
tion, therefore,  from  an  entirely  different  angle. 

As  a  guiding  principle  in  vocational  education  we  must  under- 
stand that  it  cannot  be  attempted  for  children  under  14  years  of 
age.  This  is  a  matter  upon  which  all  educators  are  practically 
agreed.  With  this  point  established  then,  we  have  a  period  of  two 
or  three  years  remaining  for  the  technical  instruction.  Manifestly 
the  motive  here  is  an  entirely  new  one,  and  with  the  new  motive 
comes  a  new  principle.  From  now  on  our  problem  is  simply  one 
of  preparation  for  a  livelihood.  From  now  on,  therefore,  the 
necessity  for  special  education  under  the  auspices  of  the  orphanage 
is  removed.  In  fact,  unless  the  institution  is  located  in  the  country, 
or  away  from  great  centers,  better  facilities  might  be  offered  by 
other  educational  institutions.  It  would  be  folly  to  advocate  special 
equipment  for  all  the  vocations  that  boys  and  girls  fall  heir  to;  it 
would  result  merely  in  inefficiency  and  duplication.  Kather  let 
use  be  made  of  the  existing  institutions,  the  commercial  and  busi- 
ness schools,  the  commercial  high  schools,  the  art,  the  technical 
and  the  trade  schools. 

The  choice  of  the  vocation  is  another  question,  not  to  be  settled 
academically.    There  has  been  a  tendency  of  late  to  send  our  boys 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  247 

to  the  technical  schools.  Pattern  making,  wood  turning,  machine 
shop  practice,  agriculture  have  been  tried  in  the  hope  of  preparing 
the  Jewish  orphan  for  independent  industrial  life.  In  the  same 
way  the  girls  have  learned  machine-operating  and  millinery.  But 
these  practices  have  not  always  been  satisfactory.  Too  often  they 
are  justified  neither  by  the  trade  nor  the  child.  In  several  in- 
stances the  children  have  been  prepared  to  undertake  the  purely 
mechanical  work  only.  In  other  cases  no  employment  could  be 
found  for  boys  who  had  spent  two  years  in  preparation  for  a  special 
trade.  Moreover,  the  Jewish  psychic  is  not  one  to  be  contented 
with  any  vocation  that  leads  to  a  maximum  wage  of  $15.00  per 
week,  or  even  $20.00.  The  Jewish  boy  recognizes  no  upper  wage 
limit.  Put  him  in  a  shop  where,  at  the  age  of  25,  he  has  reached 
his  limit  of  $20.00  per  week  and  he  will  desert  his  profession  for 
commerce  or  become  a  manager  in  another  line.  Only  the  lower 
types  of  Jewish  intelligence  can  be  kept  in  the  machine  shop  or 
on  the  farm.  The  rest  are  impelled  by  the  force  of  their  Jewish 
natures  to  break  bounds  and  try  again.  It  is  therefore  an  injustice 
in  many  cases  to  attempt  to  fit  Jewish  children  for  the  ranks  of 
so-called  skilled  laborers.  We  may  satisfy  an  educcational  hobby 
of  ours;  it  may  tickle  us  to  learn  that  Jews  are  raising  wheat  and 
potatoes,  or  building  machines,  but  the  fact  is  that  neither  in  the 
factory  nor  in  the  field  have  we  found  a  correct  solution  to  our 
vocational  problem. 

What  then  shall  our  orphans  learn?  That  depends,  firstly,  on 
the  individual,  and,  secondly,  on  the  industrial  conditions  and  edu- 
cational opportunities  of  each  locality.  One  community  reports 
plumbing  as  a  very  fertile  field  for  young  men,  another  gives 
manicuring  as  a  profession  of  dignity  and  practicability  for  the 
girls.  Most  of  us,  I  daresay,  have  found  that  the  commercial 
studies,  such  as  business  methods  and  stenography,  have  proven  to 
be  the  best  investments.  Two  important  principles  must  ever  be 
kept  in  mind :  First,  in  fitting  our  children  for  vocations  we  can- 
not know  too  much  about  the  children  nor  can  we  know  too  much 
about  the  vocation.  Secondly,  should  unforeseen  results  make 
necessary  a  desertion  from  the  field  for  which  a  given  child  has 
been  trained,  after  all,  the  loss  is  not  very  great,  so  long  as  the 


248  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

character  has  been  moulded,  in  conformity  with  social  and  indus- 
trial ideals,  and  the  fundamental  lessons  of  real  life  imparted 
through  a  carefully  prepared  curriculum  in  the  elementary  grades. 

CHAIRMAN  WOLFENSTEIN:     The  meeting  will  stand  adjourned 
until  two  o'clock. 


Thursday,  May  19,  1910. 
AFTERNOON    SESSION. 

SECRETARY  WALDMAN  (presiding)  :  Professor  Sabsovich  will 
discuss  Mr.  Teller's  paper. 

DISCUSSION. 

By  H.  L.  SABSOVICH, 
Director  Baron  de  Hirsch  Fund, 

NEW   YORK,  N.  Y. 

I  am  requested  to  discuss  the  excellent  paper  of  Mr.  Teller,  but 
I  would  rather  say  something  about  what  is  to  be  done  with  boys 
and  girls  between  the  ages  of  14  and  16,  not  only  those  dependent 
upon  charity,  but  those  who  are  taken  care  of  by  their  parents 
as  well. 

The  children  of  these  ages  are  too  young  to  enter  the  skilled 
professions.  The  boys  usually  take  unskilled  positions  in  offices, 
stores,  factories  and  shops,  and  when  they  reach  the  earning  age 
of  16  to  18  they  have  small  chance  of  advancing  themselves,  and 
having  no  trade  they  drift  from  one  employment  to  another.  If 
they  fail  to  improve,  during  this  time,  the  knowledge  they  acquired 
in  the  public  schools,  they  often  forget  the  little  they  learned  in 
the  schools.  This  question  of  what  to  do  with  boys  and  girls  of 
14  to  16  years  of  age  became  in  New  York,  as  elsewhere,  of  vast 
importance.  The  city  and  the  State  of  New  York  are  therefore 
taking  steps  toward  solving  the  problem  by  introducing  vocational 
schools.  Such  a  school  for  boys  was  opened  last  September  for 
those  who  have  gone  to  the  sixth  grade  or  its  equivalent,  and  they 
receive  not  only  academic  training,  but  professional  training  as 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEAVISH    CHARITIES.  249 

well.  A  considerable  part  of  their  time  is  spent  in  the  shops 
where  printing,  carpentry,  plumbing,  electric  wiring  and  black- 
smithing  are  taught.  Even  if  this  and  similar  schools  should  only 
develop  some  mechanical  aptitude  in  the  pupils  and  reduce  the 
number  of  drifters,  who  are  sooner  or  later  bound  to  become  a 
menace  to  society,  their  existence  would  be  justified. 

The  length  of  the  course  is  from  one  to  three  years.  The  He- 
brew Technical  School  for  Boys  and  the  Baron  de  Hirsch  Trade 
School  fill  partly  the  demand  for  trade  and  technical  education 
for  Jewish  boys  and  young  men.  The  Clara  de  Hirsch  Home  for 
Working  Girls  and  the  Hebrew  Technical  School  for  Girls  give 
industrial  training  to  girls.  The  Manhattan  Trade  School  for 
Girls  was  taken  over  by  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  City  of 
New  York. 

By  introducing  industrial  training  as  an  educational  feature 
in  the  orphan  asylums  it  would  help  the  movement  toward  trade 
education,  and  send  out  boys  and  girls  with  distinctly  developed 
mechanical  inclinations  and  prepared  to  take  up  trade  as  a  life 
vocation. 

As  concerns  farming,  the  general  impression  is  that  there  is  no 
use  in  training  our  children  to  take  up  farming,  as  farming  is 
not  a  Jewish  occupation  and  that  attempts  to  make  farmers  out 
of  Jews  have  universally  proven  failures.  We  have  heard  a 
young  minister  speak  on  the  great  possibilities  of  farming  in  gen- 
eral in  this  country,  and  he  proposes,  by  establishing  test  farms, 
to  make  American  farmers  out  of  Jewish  immigrants.  At  the 
same  time  he  condemned  all  the  previous  efforts  at  colonizing, 
particularly  in  the  South  and  in  the  West.  A  gentleman  from 
Memphis,  also  a  minister,  I  believe,  tells  us  of  the  failure  of 
colonization  in  Texas.  He  did  not  tell  us,  however,  that  immi- 
grants were  sent  to  a  fever-stricken  district. 

The  fact  is,  however,  that  throughout  the  United  States  there 
are  thousands  of  prosperous  Jewish  farmers.  Within  twelve  miles 
of  Hartford,  Conn.,  for  instance,  there  is  a  settlement  of  from 
25  to  30  prosperous  Jewish  farmers,  who  are  not  only  Jews,  but 
Americans  as  well.  Their  houses  are  equipped  with  telephone 
service ;  some  have  modern  heating  appliances,  sewerage  and,  above 


250  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

all,  they  use  modern  methods  of  farming.  They  are  among  the 
best  tobacco  raisers  in  the  country. 

There  are  several  colonies  in  the  Southern  part  of  New  Jersey. 
It  is  true  that  the  experiences  of  these  pioneers  have  been  of  the 
hardest  kind,  but  they  have  succeeded  in  overcoming  their  diffi- 
culties and  are  now  not  only  very  prosperous,  but  are  known  as 
the  finest  sweet  potato  raisers  in  the  country.  They  raise  the 
famous  "Vineland  Sweets." 

Although  I  have  had  many  bitter  disappointments  in  my  life's 
work,  I  am  nevertheless  more  optimistic  than  ever  as  to  the  future 
of  Jewish  farming.  With  the  encouragement  that  the  Jews  now 
have  to  own  and  work  their  own  land,  farming  is  steadily  getting 
a  permanent  foothold  among  Jews.  In  fact  it  has  long  passed  the 
experimental  stage,  and  I  hope  to  see  it  steadily  grow  broader  and 
vaster  in  numbers,  and  the  orphan  asylums  would  do  well  to  in- 
troduce horticulture  and  agriculture  into  their  educational  pro- 
gram, as  there  is  no  doubt  that  many  of  the  wards  would  develop 
an  inclination  to  take  farming  up  as  a  vocation,  and  thus  afford 
many  a  healthy  opportunity  to  grow  outside  of  the  congested  and 
overcrowded  city  employments. 

DISCUSSION—  (Continued). 

By  HENRY  WOOLF, 
Superintendent  of  Leopold  Morse  Home, 

MATTAPAN,  MASS. 

This  month  appears,  from  report,  to  be  the  season  of  our  fiscal 
Eosh  Hashona  in  many  Jewish  institutions.  Unfortunately,  I 
received  Mr.  Teller's  interesting  paper  just  the  day  before  our  fiscal 
gathering  here,  our  annual  meeting  day,  which  took  place  yesterday, 
Sunday,  the  15th  inst.  I  have  read  his  argument  through,  though 
it  would  have  given  me  more  pleasure  to  discuss  it  after  a  more 
careful  study  of  his  opinions. 

I  agree  with  Mr.  Teller  in  those  general  theories  which  he  has 
expounded,  which  are  fundamental  in  the  principles  of  child 
training.  I  will  also  agree  with  Mr.  Teller  in  his  exposition  of 
our  modern  social  life,  which,  for  this  season  of  our  civilization, 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  251 

is  clothed  in  an  industrial  garb.  However,  I  did  expect  to  find 
his  argument  concern  itself  more  definitely  with  the  latter  part 
of  the  thesis  concerning  the  special  education  for  Jewish  dependent 
children,  namely,  "with  particular  reference  to  technical  and 
industrial  training."  I  may  be  mistaken  in  the  intention  of 
those  who  selected  this  subject,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  it  calls 
for  more  definite  argument  on  the  subject  of  industrial  and  tech- 
nical training  in  the  "narrow  sense,"  as  Mr.  Teller  designates  it, 
than  along  the  lines  of  the  general  education  of  Jewish  children  in 
large  congregate  institutions. 

It  appears  that  the  writer  disparages  and  frowns  upon  the  past 
results  in  Jewish  institutions  in  both  the  religious  and  in  the 
secular  training.  In  the  early  part  of  his  paper  he  makes  the 
statement,  "we  need  far  more  effective  methods  of  bringing  home 
to  them  the  beauty,  the  truth  and  the  power  of  our  faith."  No- 
one  will  argue  the  fact  that  we  owe  to  the  child  special  religious 
training  which  will  bring  him  into  possession  of  his  Jewish  in- 
heritance, but  it  seems  to  me,  and  I  may  be  mistaken  again,  that 
in  the  past  generation — I  was  a  very  young  child  then  and  may 
not  have  understood — but  it  seems  to  me  that  in  those  days,  what- 
ever the  methods,  we  were  trained  to  be  thoroughly  Jewish,  or 
"God-fearing."  Toward  the  end  of  his  paper  he  makes  this  state- 
ment: "It  means  a  complete  overhauling  of  methods  and  matter 
now  in  use.  Too  long  have  we  been  dressing  the  orphan  with  the 
castoff  clothes  of  others.  Similarly  we  have  reached  the  time  when 
the  Jewish  orphan  is  to  have  an  education  to  fit  him,  not  the 
educational  misfit  with  which  he  has  been  trained  these  many 
years." 

I  admire  the  writer's  push  and  desire  to  be  progressive,  but 
personally  I  would  not  be  so  revolutionary  in  the  plans  I  advocate. 
If  we  are  to  judge  by  the  results  of  the  lives  of  those  who  have  come 
out  of  institutions  in  the  past,  we  generally  find  them  to  reflect 
credit  rather  than  discredit  upon  the  methods  in  vogue,  which 
therefore,  must  have  fit  and  not  "misfit"  the  conditions  of  those 
years. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  if  Pestalozzi's  methods  of  child  training 
of  his  orphan  children  were  analyzed  in  the  searchlight  of  modern 


252  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

criticism,  notwithstanding  the  excellent  results  of  his  strenuous 
work,  that  great  leader  would  only  class  as  a  mediocre  pedagogue 
today. 

In  his  treatment  of  the  industrial  and  technical  training  of 
the  dependent  child,  I  do  not  see  wherein  the  writer  proves  that 
the  orphan  requires  any  difi'erent  training  from  that  of  the  normal 
child,  even  the  non-Jewish  child,  as  far  as  his  preparation  for 
participation  in  the  great  world  of  industry  is  concerned. 

I  am  an  ardent  believer  in  technical  and  industrial  training  for 
the  Jewish  dependent  child,  whether  he  be  sub-normal  or  normal, 
although  that  phase  of  education  it  has  been  found,  does  offer  an 
excellent  outlet  for  certain  energies  of  even  defective  children. 
Personal  experience  along  industrial  lines  in  which  I  have  engaged 
for  many  years  leads  me  to  advocate  the  training  in  question.  To 
my  mind,  a  greater  cause  for  devoting  attention  to  this  phase  of 
education  exists  in  the  fact  that  among  the  large  numbers  in  homes 
of  all  kinds  opportunities  should  be  given,  just  as  they  ought  to 
be  given  to  normal  and  sub-normal  children  in  less  unfortunate 
families,  to  develop  along  such  lines  and  to  follow  such  pursuits 
for  which  they  may  show  greater  talent  than  for  other  callings,  and 
for  which  they  may  have  a  predisposition  on  account  of  possessing 
a  talent,  mechanical,  scientific,  artistic,  commercial  or  otherwise. 

The  large  majority  of  children  in  homes  and  out  of  homes  are 
usually  sent  into  the  great  industrial  world,  using  that  term  again 
in  its  broader  meaning,  to  specialize  only  in  the  commercial  phase 
of  it.  Intelligent  business  men  are  witnesses  that  the  large  ma- 
jority of  those  overcrowding  the  commercial  branches  are,  for  the 
most  part,  of  a  low  standard  of  mediocrity,  and  even  among  those 
who  are  so-called  graduates  of  business  schools  an  amazing  pro- 
portion does  not  reach  higher  than  the  $15.00  and  $20.00  a  week 
class. 

I,  therefore,  repeat  that  it  will  be  gainful  for  our  youthful  de- 
pendents, where  the  home  or  institution  has  the  means,  to  introduce 
those  forms  of  industrial  training  whereby  the  child  may  be  able 
to  discover  himself,  or  through  the  medium  of  which  the  instructor 
may  be  able  to  discover  a  superior  talent  along  mechanical  lines, 
or  scientific,  or  artistic,  so  that  the  foster-parent  or  superintendent 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  253 

shall  be  enabled  to  intelligently  direct  him  in  such  pursuit  where 
he  will  be  most  likely  to  excell.  If  the  child  also  possess  the 
commercial  and  executive  talent,  he  will  surely  rise  above  the 
$20.00  limit  in  his  own  calling.  It  widens  the  possibility  of  follow- 
ing out  the  great  principle  so  beautifully  expressed  by  the  poet, 
Longfellow,  "study  yourselves  well  and  learn  wherein  kind  Nature 
meant  you  to  excel." 

I  would  advocate  that  we  keep  in  mind  in  our  institution  and 
home  training,  the  future  of  the  child,  not  only  while  he  is  a  child 
in  the  home,  but  also  while  he  is  a  child  after  he  has  left  the  home. 
The  present  is  great,  but  the  future  is  greater. 

In  his  entire  discussion  about  preparing  the  child  for  the  in- 
dustrial world,  in  the  broad  application  of  that  term,  Mr.  Teller 
neglects  altogether  the  direction,  advice,  and  encouragement  of  the 
child  when  he  has  actually  begun  to  really  participate  in  the 
world's  industries.  If  he  places  so  much  emphasis  on  the  care 
of  the  teeth,  the  scalp,  the  skin,  while  the  child  is  in  the  home, 
how  much  greater  need  is  there  to  keep  in  touch  with  him  and  to 
direct  him  when  he  is  just  starting  out  for  himself  in  the  industrial 
world,  of  which  we  speak.  I  claim  that  we  are  placing  him  in  an 
abnormal  condition  when  we  put  him  into  the  world  "independent" 
unless  we  make  him  feel  that  he  is  not  deserted  at  this  critical 
period,  by  his  foster-parent.  That  is  the  time  when  the  boy  needs 
most  of  our  encouragement  and  when  the  girl  requires  our  solicitous 
care  and  guidance.  If  we  are  going  to  abandon  them  at  this  point 
of  their  development  we  are  not  justified  in  casting  stones  at  the 
deserting  parents  of  neglected  children. 

In  the  training  of  children  we  must  be  definite  and  practical, 
not  too  theoretical,  and  when  we  have  before  us  the  miracle  of  the 
Lord  in  the  form  of  the  adolescent  child  commencing  his  career,  we 
must  take  our  shoes  from  off  our  feet  so  as  to  be  nearer  the  earth 
in  our  treatment  of  this  problem. 

Miss  CECIL  B.  WIENER,  Buffalo  (presiding)  :  The  first  paper 
of  this  session  is  entitled  "The  Eelation  Between  the  Social  Worker 
and  His  Organization,"  by  Dr.  Boris  D.  Bogen,  of  Cincinnati. 


254  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE  SIXTH 

THE  RELATION  OF  A  SOCIAL  WORKER  TO  HIS 
ORGANIZATION. 

By  BORIS  D.  BOOEN, 
Superintendent  United  Hebrew  Charities, 

CINCINNATI,  OHIO. 

Wise  physicians  prohibit  their  patients  from  constantly  speaking 
of  their  ailments.  The  social  worker  should  realize  his  weaknesses 
and  try  to  overcome  the  unfortunate  habit  of  grumbling  and  com- 
plaining of  the  unsatisfactory  and  often  unjust  treatment  he  thinks 
he  is  receiving  from  those  '^higher  up." 

As  a  public  servant,  the  social  worker  must  have  respect  for  his 
own  community,  must  be  loyal  to  it,  must  make  himself  a  part  of 
it  and  take  upon  himself  the  representation  of  the  communal 
interests  in  all  possible  directions.  The  grumbling,  dissatisfied 
social  worker,  constantly  complaining  of  the  community  that  em- 
ploys him,  is  a  poor  excuse  of  a  leader,  and  deserves  pity  rather 
than  encouragement.  Still  there  may  be  some  satisfaction  in 
opening  one's  heart  and  stating  his  grievances  to  the  public, 
analyzing  his  true  position,  expressing  a  protest  and  demanding 
sympathy  and  just  consideration.  These  probably  are  the  reasons 
that  prompted  the  committee  on  program  to  include  the  subject 
of  the  relationship  of  the  social  worker  to  his  organization  in  the 
discussions  of  this  Conference.  The  speaker,  however,  wishes  to 
emphasize  that  it  was  not  his  choice  to  present  the  topic,  and  that, 
in  fact,  he  requested  to  be  released  from  the  unpleasant  duty  of 
tackling  such  a  delicate  proposition.  Through  moral  suasion, 
however,  he  was  induced  to  accept  the  task,  for  he  realized  that 
if  the  subject  is  to  be  presented  he  probably  would  be  the  person 
who  could  afford  to  do  it  without  serious  consequences.  His  posi- 
tion in  respect  to  his  community  is  fortunately  such  as  to  make  it 
impossible  to  regard  his  remarks  personal,  and  whatever  he  has 
to  say  is  more  a  matter  of  observation  than  a  result  of  his  own 
experiences.  He  need  not  fear  that  his  appearance  may  be  taken 
as  an  expression  of  his  own  grievances  toward  his  organization, 
for  he  has  none,  nor  must  he  be  careful  that  his  statements  may 
reflect  upon  the  community  which  he  represents.  The  office  of 
a  paid  social  worker  is  rather  of  a  recent  origin.  At  the  beginning 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  255 

the  employment  of  a  social  worker  is  a  matter  of  compromise,  it 
is  only  through  necessity  that  an  organization  becomes  willing  to 
spend  money  for  management,  and  even  then  there  are  always 
some  persons  who  consider  the  expenses  for  management  not  a 
legitimate  item  in  connection  with  philanthropic  activity.  In 
many  instances  the  introduction  of  a  paid  worker  is  gradual;  often 
a  person,  after  giving  his  services  for  a  considerable  time  gratis, 
is  given  a  small  compensation,  seldom  sufficient  to  justify  the  em- 
ployment of  his  entire  time.  Again  in  other  communities  the  new 
field  opens  an  opportunity  to  help  a  poor  and  unfortunate  man  or 
woman,  who  is  thereby  placed  in  a  position  where  he  can  pre- 
sumably earn  a  livelihood.  To  engage  a  social  worker  in  this  case 
means  a  double  charity.  While  this  is  true  historically,  it  is  also 
applicable  to  the  present  conditions,  and  almost  every  community, 
if  not  as  a  whole,  yet  in  part,  retains  the  old  views  and  considers 
a  social  worker  as  a  charitable  adjunct  rather  than  a  real  necessity. 
Anyone  who  has  had  the  experience  of  advertising  for  a  social 
worker  knows  from  the  character  of  the  persons  aspiring  to  fill  the 
vacancy  how  little  uniformity  there  is  in  the  supposed  qualifications. 
Men  of  high  social  standing  in  the  community  will  recommend 
their  friends,  sometimes  even  their  relatives,  whose  only  qualifica- 
tions are  the  close  relationship  with  the  sponsor.  Again  there  is 
usually  pressure  brought  to  get  in  some  deserving  member  of  the 
community,  who  cannot  do  anything  else,  and  probably  for  this 
very  reason  will  be  able  to  do  social  work.  You  get  applications 
from  people  without  any  experience,  bold  enough  to  say  that  they 
believe  they  can  learn  the  tricks  of  the  profession  very  rapidly; 
again  from  others  without  any  education,  claiming  that  they  think 
that  education,  after  all,  is  not  altogether  necessary.  Again  you 
may  get  candidates  somewhat  qualified,  but  all  of  them  take  it  for 
granted  that  if  they  do  not  get  the  appointment  it  is  not  because 
they  come  short  of  the  requirements,  but  because  they  did  not 
carry  sufficient  pull  or  were  prevented  from  getting  the  position 
by  somebody  in  the  field  interested  in  behalf  of  some  third  person. 
The  development  of  social  activities  and  the  specialization  accord- 
ing to  the  character  of  the  work  makes  the  term  "social  worker" 
too  general.  The  qualifications  of  a  superintendent  of  an  institu- 
tion, those  of  a  relief  agent  or  head  worker  of  a  settlement  are  and 
should  be  of  a  different  character.  Still  there  is  one  underlying 


256  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

principle,  and  this  is  the  general  adaptation  for  social  service. 
The  management  of  our  institutions,  especially  the  orphan  asylums 
and  hospitals,  has  been  considerably  improved  lately.  The  re- 
sponsibilities connected  with  these  offices  became  apparent,  and  the 
necessity  of  qualified  persons  in  charge  became  imperative.  Our 
homes  for  the  aged  are  still  following  the  old  regime.  The  con- 
ditions of  our  relief  agencies  are  especially  instructive.  In  the 
olden  times  the  distribution  of  charity  was  considered  in  itself  an 
act  of  benevolence.  Even  children  were  given  an  opportunity  to 
give  alms  to  the  poor  directly.  Conditions  have  changed,  the  scope 
of  philanthropy  has  been  greatly  extended  and  has  become  more 
complicated.  The  problem  of  helping  the  poor  is  at  present  a 
sociological  question.  We  are  beginning  to  look  for  results,  we  are 
beginning  to  realize  the  necessity  of  a  system,  we  are  endeavoring 
to  introduce  economy  and  to  avoid  unnecessary  waste. 

Individual  charity  has  been  transferred  into  a  co-operative  enter- 
prise, and  it  is  only  a  question  of  time  when  it  will  become  a 
municipal  function  entirely.  The  management  and  the  distribu- 
tion of  charity  funds  has  become  a  serious  matter.  It  is  not  always 
pleasant;  it  calls  forth  stringent  measures  with  a  number  of  un- 
deserving applicants;  it  requires  close  attention;  it  involves  con- 
siderable work  preparatory  to  the  distribution ;  it  implies  investiga- 
tion, organization  and  careful  handling  of  each  and  every  case. 
Naturally  a  work  of  this  character  cannot  be  left  entirely  in  the 
hands  of  volunteers.  Hence  the  necessity  of  a  paid  worker,  the 
superintendent.  The  office  of  the  superintendent,  however,  carries 
a  different  meaning  in  different  communities.  In  some  places  the 
superintendent  is  nothing  but  a  clerk,  again,  in  others,  he  is  the 
executive  officer,  with  little  power  and  no  authority,  and  only  in  a 
few  instances  is  the  superintendent  considered  a  leader  of  the  com- 
munity, directing  the  work  and  supplying  plans  and  policies  as  to 
the  different  philanthropic  activities.  On  the  other  hand,  unfor- 
tunately, professional  efficiency  is  not  a  general  rule  among  the 
superintendents  of  relief  agencies.  The  requirements  for  the  office 
are  still  indefinite,  and,  while  communities  are  beginning  to  recog- 
nize the  importance  of  a  qualified  superintendent,  they  are,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  compelled  to  make  their  selections  from  among 
people  without  any  special  training.  Under  these  circumstances, 
the  superintendent  enters  the  community  not  as  a  leader,  but,  at 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE    OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  257 

least  at  the  start,  as  an  agent,  ready  to  execute  orders  and  follow 
directions.  Who  can  blame  a  community  that  is  unwilling  to  thrust 
in  the  hands  of  an  inexperienced  and  untrained  worker  the  care 
of  dependents? 

On  the  other  hand,  in  the  selection  of  a  superintendent,  the 
different  communities  are  guided  by  different  standards.  Lately, 
the  requirements  became  more  positive.  The  appearance,  the 
general  bearing,  the  moral  tone  and  disposition,  eloquence  and 
refinement  are  taken  into  consideration.  It  is  only  in  exceptional 
cases  where  professional  efficiency  is  sought  for.  How  many  com- 
munities care  whether  their  superintendent  possesses  the  knowledge 
of  modern  sociology,  political  economy,  psychology,  etc.?  How 
many  of  the  Jewish  communities  dealing  with  immigrants  mostly 
demand  that  their  superintendent  know  the  language  of  the  immi- 
grants, their  past,  their  peculiarities,  their  tendencies,  their  merits 
and  their  shortcomings?  And  these  theoretical  preparations  are 
only  a  part  of  the  qualifications  of  a  superintendent,  who  is  destined 
to  become  a  leader  in  modern  philanthropy. 

In  our  settlement  work  the  conditions  are  still  less  satisfactory. 
The  requirements  of  a  settlement  worker  are  unreasonable,  the 
work  in  its  character  is  indefinite,  the  accomplishments  of  an 
efficient  settlement  worker  are  too  manifold  to  be  found  in  one 
person.  Besides,  the  bulk  of  the  work  is  done  by  volunteers,  whose 
selection  is  a  difficult  matter,  and,  as  a  rule,  the  head  worker  has 
little  choice  in  the  matter.  As  a  result  of  all  this,  the  qualifications 
of  a  settlement  worker  are  measured  in  a  degree  by  the  demands  of 
the  volunteers.  The  charming  personality,  the  smooth  talker,  has 
better  chances  than  an  efficient  communal  worker,  a  man  or  woman 
of  ideas,  sincere  and  well  meaning. 

A  social  worker  assuming  a  new  position  finds  that  one  of  his 
first,  if  not  the  most  difficult,  tasks  is  to  get  the  confidence  of  the 
board  of  managers  and  to  gain  a  hold  upon  the  community  that 
will  establish  proper  relationship  between  him  and  his  organization. 
If  the  record  of  his  previous  achievements  is  of  some  value,  it  will 
help  him  to  start  with  a  made  reputation.  Ho  will  be  accordingly 
introduced,  and  will  have  to  live  up  to  the  expectations.  But  even 
then  his  manners,  voice,  conversation,  tendencies,  views  that  he  con- 
fesses, sociability,  etc.,  will  be  critically  scrutinized,  and  will 
mean  a  great  deal  in  securing  him  a  strong  foothold  in  his  new 


258  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

position.  Should  he,  however,  be  a  person  who  has  already  been 
known  to  the  community,  and  has  been  chosen  for  some  other 
reason,  than  his  experience  as  a  social  worker,  his  road  toward 
success,  is  still  more  difficult,  and  the  entire  attitude  will  depend 
upon  how  successful  he  may  be  at  the  very  beginning.  In  this  case 
he  meets  a  critical  attitude,  a  lack  of  confidence. 

As  a  rule,  however,  a  social  worker,  when  engaged  for  a  new 
position,  finds  that  he  is  met  with  open  arms,  and  is  shown  a  great 
deal  of  consideration  in  the  beginning.  But  often  his  first  ex- 
periences are  not  lasting.  The  trouble  begins  frequently  from  an 
insignificant  episode.  A  mistake,  an  unnecessary  friction  that 
could  be  easily  avoided  and  overlooked,  causes  anxiety,  and  is 
sufficient  to  overthrow  the  entire  equilibrium,  producing  a  storm 
in  what  promised  to  be  an  ideal  atmosphere  of  relations.  Under 
these  circumstances  it  is  quite  natural  that  a  social  worker  has  to 
be  careful  from  the  very  start,  and  this  leads  us  to  the  consideration 
of  a  peculiar  psychological  feature,  namely,  the  social  worker's  fear 
of  his  organization.  Notwithstanding  the  growing  demand  for 
social  workers,  each  and  every  one  of  them  is  in  constant  fear  of 
losing  his  position,  for  he  knows,  and  his  friends  do  not  fail  to  tell 
him,  that  to  lose  a  position  is,  after  all,  a  great  deal  easier  than  to 
get  another  one.  This  fear  on  the  part  of  the  social  worker  makes 
him  very  sensitive  to  the  opinions  of  his  superiors — he  cannot  stand 
any  criticism  coming  from  them,  exaggerating  its  importance, 
taking  too  seriously  every  word  uttered  by  any  of  his  directors,  a 
condition  which  is  responsibile  for  a  peculiar  ambition,  char- 
acteristic of  almost  of  everyone  connected  with  social  service. 
Realizing  this  ambition,  the  organizations  are  very  generous  in 
giving  praise  to  their  paid  workers,  making  public  acknowledg- 
ments of  the  wonderful  achievements,  though  a  little  careful  in 
advancing  their  salaries. 

In  preparing  this  paper  it  seemed  advisable  to  interview  a  few 
leading  professional  workers  and  inquire  confidentially  what  are 
the  relations  existing  between  the  given  individuals  and  their  re- 
spective organization.  We  shall  quote  the  answers  promiscuously : 

"My  organization  does  not  understand  the  problem.  I  cannot 
explain  to  them  my  attitude.  They  do  not  appreciate  the  difficulties 
and  hardships  and  think  that  this  is  a  store.  It  is  impossible  to 
please  them." 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  259 

"My  board  are  just  darlings,  there  is  nothing  they  would  not 
do  for  me;  honest,  their  relations  are  just  ideal." 

"My  board  think  they  know  all.  They  are  not  open  to  convic- 
tion and  are  not  accustomed  to  have  a  paid  worker  differ  from 
their  views.  The  only  thing  to  do  is  to  humor  them." 

"They  certainly  treat  me  right  and  think  highly  of  me.  One 
must  know  how  to  show  up ;  they  are  taken  by  the  few  things  that 
I  do." 

"Why  I  have  given  my  life  to  please  them,  have  become  a 
nervous  wreck.  I  suppose  they  would  be  only  too  glad  if  I 
resigned." 

"My  board  is  certainly  fine  to  me,  I  appreciate  their  kindness. 
I  cannot  expect  them  to  treat  me  as  their  equal  after  all.  I  hope 
they  are  satisfied  with  me." 

"The  trouble  is  in  Mr.  or  Miss  So  and  So,  they  have  full  con- 
fidence in  her  or  him,  and  whatever  he  or  she  says  is  law.  It  is 
no  use  to  fight  the  impossible." 

"I  am  getting  tired  of  the  explicit  confidence  the  board  shows  to 
me.  I  begin  to  feel  that  they  ought  to  share  the  responsibility  and 
not  leave  everything  to  me." 

"The  organization,  as  a  whole,  needs  an  education  as  regard  to 
recognition  of  the  standing  of  a  social  worker.  I  do  not  want  to 
become  too  familiar  with  my  board.  Careful,  tactful  and  con- 
servative action  keeps  my  board  in  satisfactory  condition." 

"Mr.  So  and  So  is  afraid  that  somebody  else  will  get  the  credit. 
He  takes  it  upon  himself  to  deprive  a  fellow  of  a  chance." 

"My  board  realized  the  changes  I  have  introduced;  they  see  the 
difference  between  my  predecessor  and  me;  thy  certainly  have 
respect  for  my  education.  They  like  to  see  me  putting  a  scientific- 
coloring  to  our  work." 

"Since  I  am  working  for  them,  they  never  greeted  me  with  a 
handshake." 

"My  board  loves  to  hear  others  praise  me." 

"They  certainly  make  me  work  like  a  slave,  and  it  is  impossible 
to  please  them." 

"My  board  is  satisfied  with  me.  Our  relations  are  fine,  I  am 
entirely  independent." 

We  could  continue  quoting  different  opinions,  but  all  of  them 
would  represent  a  slight  variation  of  the  same  theme.  Evidently 


260  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

not  in  all  cases  do  the  opinions  expressed  represent  the  true  situa- 
tion. They  show,  however,  how  sensitive  the  social  worker  is  and 
how  much  he  takes  to  heart  the  attitude  of  the  board  toward  him 
and  the  work  he  does. 

The  most  frequent  cause  of  friction  between  the  social  worker 
and  his  organization  is  the  difference  of  opinions  as  to  the  method 
and  tendency  of  the  work  itself. 

In  the  relief  agency  the  worker  may  be  accused  of  being  too 
lenient  or  too  severe,  as  the  case  may  be;  in  the  institution  the 
question  of  discipline  may  cause  considerable  trouble ;  in  settlement 
work  the  lack  of  restraint  and  the  character  of  activities  may  not 
meet  with  the  approval  of  the  board.  This  is  a  legitimate  and 
natural  controversy,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  the  worker,  if  he  is 
given  a  chance,  to  bring  about  a  uniformity  of  ideas.  Unfor- 
tunately, often  the  worker  sacrifices  his  own  personality  in  attempt- 
ing to  compromise  difficulties,  he  becomes  a  champion  of  a  cause 
in  which  he  himself  does  not  believe.  He  changes  methods  not 
because  he  is  convinced  of  the  wrong  of  it,  but  because  the  board 
will  be  better  pleased  with  it,  and  by  doing  so  does  not  emphasize 
the  fact  that  he  is  not  responsible  for  the  new  way;  just  on  the 
contrary,  he  praises  the  things  that  he  hates  and  downs  those  that 
he  internally  believes  to  be  good. 

The  tendency  on  the  part  of  the  members  of  the  board  to  apply 
a  business  criterion  to  philanthropic  activities  is  often  the  cause 
of  considerable  friction  between  the  organization  and  the  social 
worker.  The  social  worker  is  often  kept  responsible  for  raising 
of  funds,  and  is  kept  busy  inventing  schemes  or  executing  the 
schemes  of  his  board  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  money  for  the 
different  activities.  In  some  organizations  an  unreasonable 
economy  is  enforced,  and  the  recent  fad  to  get  returns  from  the 
constituency  itself  leads  to  a  most  unsatisfactory  role  that  the 
social  worker  is  made  to  assume.  Relief  societies  are  attempting  to 
base  their  adequacy  upon  the  amount  of  money  repaid  by  the 
applicants,  an  arrangement  that  defeats  the  very  purpose  of  a  relief 
agency.  The  work  of  the  latter  should  not  be  confused  with  that 
of  a  free  loan  society.  A  free  loan  society  advances  money  under 
a  certain  guaranty,  either  in  the  form  of  a  pledge  or  the  assurance 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  261 

of  a  third  person,  who  is  in  position  to  assume  the  responsibility 
in  case  the  payment  is  not  forthcoming.  A  failure  to  repay  a  loan 
in  a  free  loan  society  would  bar  a  person  from  further  trans- 
actions. The  relief  agency  cannot  afford  to  put  this  ultimatum. 
The  truth  is,  that  if  a  person  is  not  in  position  to  pay  his  debt 
he  would  probably  need  more  assistance,  and  if  his  need  is  sub- 
stantiated by  investigation  he  ought  to  get  it.  The  return  of  a 
loan  to  a  charity  agency  should  not  entitle  the  person  to  continue 
to  remain  on  the  charity  list  for  a  longer  time  than  is  absolutely 
necessary. 

In  institutions,  hospitals,  asylums,  schools,  etc.,  the  importance 
attached  to  the  sometimes  very  insignificant  income  is  usually 
exaggerated.  Meanwhile  the  social  worker  is  compelled  to  show 
results  in  dollars  and  cents,  and  if  he  fails  in  this  particular  respect 
he  loses  his  standing.  He  appreciates  the  falsity  of  his  position, 
and  naturally  protests  against  this  unfair  measure  of  his  achieve- 
ment, causing  a  feeling  of  discontent  on  the  part  of  the 
organization. 

In  settlement  work  the  lack  of  appreciation  of  special  paid 
assistants,  and  the  idea  of  getting  along  with  volunteer  service 
exclusively,  is  responsible  for  the  physical  breakdown  of  a  social 
worker,  and  for  the  unavoidable  failure  producing  friction  and  un- 
pleasantness in  the  relations  of  the  social  worker  and  his  board. 
The  social  worker  who  fails  to  recognize,  however,  the  rights  of  the 
members  of  the  board,  who  fails  to  appreciate  the  importance  of 
the  views  of  the  large  number  of  contributors  to  his  cause  and  who 
ignores  public  opinion,  is  partly  responsible  himself  if  he  does  not 
find  satisfactory  relations  between  himself  and  his  organization. 

A  social  worker  must  never  forget  that  the  board  of  managers 
are  the  choice  of  the  public ;  they  are  the  trustees  of  public  funds ; 
they  are  instrumental  in  making  ample  provisions  for  the  material 
support  of  the  different  activities,  and  are  responsible  for  the  entire 
workings  of  the  organization ;  they  are  the  controlling  medium,  and 
it  is  their  duty  and  privilege  to  examine,  approve  or  disapprove 
his  actions ;  they  are  entitled  to  know  all  the  details  of  the  different 
transactions,  and  must  be  put  in  position  to  watch  results.  The 
social  worker  who  succeeds  in  being  left  alone,  be  it  because  the 


262  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

members  of  the  board  are  indifferent  to  their  duties  and  are  too 
busy  with  their  own  affairs,  or  because  they  have  full  confidence  in 
him  and  do  not  want  to  interfere  with  his  prerogative,  may  find  him- 
self in  a  predicament  when  he  awakens  to  the  fact  that  his  board  did 
not  keep  pace  with  ihe  progress  made  and  is  unable  to  give  him  the 
co-operation  which  he  may  want.  The  same  is  true  of  the  worker 
who  is  attempting  to  keep  his  board  in  ignorance  of  the  true  status 
of  the  situation,  who  misrepresents  reality  and  substitutes  for  it  re- 
sults pleasing  to  the  board.  While  the  different  boards  are  partly  re- 
sponsible for  this  situation  by  encouraging  the  social  workers  to 
report  nothing  but  what  they  want  reported,  still  the  social 
workers  are  to  blame  considerably  for  this  deceitful  tendency  to- 
ward their  organizations.  This  tendency  is  especially  evident  in 
the  official  statements  and  even  statistical  data  given  by  the  dif- 
ferent organizations.  Everything  is  calculated  to  produce  the 
impression  of  a  perfect  situation,  and  no  allowance  is  made  for 
weak  and  negative  features  that  we  meet  in  almost  every  depart- 
ment of  social  service.  In  fact  it  is  hard  to  say  what  would  happen 
to  a  social  worker  if  he  should  dare  to  bring  before  the  public  his 
doubts  as  to  the  real  merit  of  the  work  in  which  he  is  engaged. 

The  board  is  responsible  for  the  social  worker,  and  consequently 
has  the  right  to  employ  or  discharge  him.  It  is  a  misfortune  to 
have  a  social  worker  who  is  a  fixture,  who  keeps  his  office  on  the 
strength  of  his  past  achievements,  or  through  some  outside  in- 
fluence, or  as  a  matter  of  charity.  On  the  other  hand,  the  social 
worker  not  merely  by  virtue  of  his  office,  but  through  efficiency, 
should  assert  himself  as  a  leader.  The  efficient  social  worker  is 
not  the  one  who  does  just  exactly  what  the  board  of  managers 
wants  him  to  do,  but  the  one  who  is  instrumental  in  making  the 
board  demand  what  he  himself  thinks  ought  to  be  done. 
All  this  is  true,  however,  in  a  general  way;  in  individual 
cases,  the  social  worker  in  his  relations  to  the  board  of  managers 
encounters  innumerable  difficulties.  The  board  of  managers,  as 
a  rule,  is  not  a  homogenous  body,  human  beings  differ,  especially 
when  they  are  members  of  a  philanthropic  organization.  The  position 
of  a  social  worker  is  exceedingly  difficult  when  his  organization  is 
divided  into  factions ;  these  differences  are  hard  to  reconcile.  Both 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  263 

parties,  if  there  are  only  two,  may  be  at  fault,  the  entire  animosity 
may  be  of  a  personal  origin  or  based  upon  petty  ambition  and 
rivalry.  The  social  worker  is  placed  in  the  position  of  a  politician, 
he  watches  the  market  and  observes  each  movement  of  the  pendulum 
of  social  achievements  of  one  party  or  the  fall  of  the  other.  Woe 
to  the  social  worker  who  is  obliged  to  natter,  gossip,  to  lead 
intrigues  and  to  take  advantage  of  the  weaknesses  of  the  individual 
members  of  the  board.  The  zeal  with  which  the  social  worker 
cultivates  his  board  makes  him  sometimes  forget  that  the  board  is, 
after  all,  only  a  small  part  of  the  public  and  that  the  contributors 
are  also  deserving  of  serious  consideration.  The  favorite  of  the 
board  is  not  always  the  favorite  with  the  public,  and,  while  his 
position  may  be  quite  certain  at  some  time,  he  is  likely  to  get  into 
some  difficulty,  and  with  no  co-operation  on  the  part  of  the  com- 
munity at  large  will  have  to  stand  on  his  own  merit,  independently 
of  what  the  board  thinks  of  him.  In  settlement  work  especially, 
the  opinion  of  the  large  corps  of  volunteer  workers  and  so-called 
sympathizers  requires  careful  handling.  Here,  as  anywhere  else, 
tact  and  patience  are  necessary,  and  a  little  politeness  is  always 
in  place.  A  certain  duty  devolves  upon  the  social  worker  in  re- 
gard to  the  supporters  and  contributors.  His  work  depends  upon 
their  interests  and,  therefore,  it  is  very  important  that  he  should 
do  all  he  possibly  can  to  acquaint  the  public  with  the  manifold 
activities;  their  workings  should  present  facts  that  promote 
sympathy,  enthusiasm  and  belief  not  only  in  the  methods,  but  in 
the  people,  for  whose  benefit  the  institutions  exist. 

The  tendency  on  the  part  of  the  charity  worker  to  emphasize 
the  faults  of  the  poor,  speak  of  their  deceiving  natures  and  of 
their  depravity  and  of  the  dire  ingratitude,  is  a  wrong  means 
to  get  the  proper  co-operation  from  the  organization.  An  organiza- 
tion based  upon  hatred  and  distrust  of  the  people,  who  are  its 
beneficiaries,  even  if  thoroughly  organized,  does  not  deserve  the 
name  of  charity.  The  charity  worker  who  sentences  every  applicant 
as  a  thief  and  liar  is  unable  to  do  justice  even  to  the  deserving 
individual.  The  charity  worker  who  thinks  that  his  sole  duty  is  to 
protect  the  community  from  impostors  is  laboring  under  a  false 
conception  of  true  charity.  With  him  the  problem  seems  to  be 


264  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE   SIXTH 

"how  to  refuse,"  not  "how  to  help."  The  board  of  managers  may 
be  curious  to  know  the  peculiar  and,  at  times,  very  morbid  ex- 
periences with  the  undeserving  poor.  This  is  a  weakness  similar 
to  the  love  for  detective  stories,  but  this  will  never  serve  the  cause 
of  charity.  The  social  worker  should  use  all  possible  opportunities 
to  present  the  true  conditions  under  which  "the  other  half  lives," 
explain  the  causes  of  poverty  that  are  beyond  the  control  of  the 
individual,  and  he  should  endeavor  to  get  the  sympathy  for  the 
suffering  and  excite  the  desire  to  be  helpful  to  the  unfortunate. 
He  should  cite  examples  of  definite  results  achieved  through 
adequate  relief,  and,  in  general,  act  as  an  enthusiastic  advocate  in 
behalf  of  the  poor.  In  doing  so  he  may  encounter  a  good  deal  of 
opposition  and  criticism,  but  as  long  as  there  is  no  question  as  to 
sincerity  he  is  bound  to  achieve  his  purpose. 

This  brings  us  to  the  final  and  the  most  important  consideration, 
and  that  is,  the  relation  between  the  social  worker  and  the  bene- 
ficiaries, the  applicants  for  charity,  the  inmates  of  the  institution 
and  the  constituency  of  the  settlements.  The  idea  that  a  social 
worker  is  always  misjudged  by  the  people  among  whom  he  is  work- 
ing is  the  most  dangerous  point  of  view.  Many  a  board  doubts  the 
efficiency  of  its  workers,  because  the  latter  are  on  too  intimate 
terms  with  their  charges.  Often  the  hatred  shown  to  the  social 
worker  is  taken  as  an  indication  of  his  wonderful  achievements. 
No  matter  how  important  it  is  to  get  friendly  relations  from  the 
board  of  managers  and  the  large  list  of  contributors,  the  social 
worker  must  never  forget  that  his  mission  is  among  the  poor  and 
the  needy,  the  ignorant  and  the  lowly,  those  that  need  his  assistance, 
his  just  and  kind  attitude. 

In  relief  work  the  social  worker  must  never  forget  that  he  is  a 
paid  agent,  that  he  is  placed  for  the  purpose  of  ameliorating  the 
conditions  of  the  needy,  that  he  is  called  upon  primarily  to  serve 
the  poor,  and  should  never  permit  himself  to  play  the  role  of  a 
benefactor.  He  must  give  a  chance  to  every  applicant  to  explain 
to  him  fully  his  needs  and  desires;  he  must  never  shirk  his  re- 
sponsibility and  avoid  meeting  an  applicant  whom  he  cannot  or 
does  not  want  to  help.  In  granting  assistance  or  refusing  to  do 
anything  for  an  applicant,  he  acts  in  a  business  capacity;  his  per- 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHAEITIES.  265 

sonal  likes  and  dislikes  should  find  no  place  in  the  matter  of  dis- 
tributing relief.  All  applicants  should  be  treated  courteously, 
friendly  and  with  doubtless  sincerity.  Kind  and  forgiving,  the 
social  worker  should,  however,  be  definite  in  his  actions,  decisive 
and  straightforward.  Nothing  annoys  the  poor  more  than  the 
double-faced  policy ;  the  social  worker  need  not  rehearse  in  a  mirror 
a  smiling  countenance,  the  poor  will  not  believe  him.  Nor  will 
it  be  of  any  purpose  to  put  on  a  mask  of  dignity,  unnecessary 
sagacity  or  stern  character,  the  poor  are  not  easily  deceived.  The 
social  worker  who  is  really  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  bene- 
ficiaries, the  social  worker  who  gives  thought  to  each  and  every  case 
with  the  view  of  doing  the  very  best,  the  social  worker  who  knows 
what  is  needed  for  the  community  and  is  frank  and  fearless  in 
putting  his  ideas  into  practice,  the  social  worker  who  sympathizes 
with  the  suffering  and  never  goes  back  on  his  promises,  will  have 
no  trouble  to  adjust  his  relations  with  the  people  for  whom  he 
works. 

DISCUSSION. 

Miss  WIENER:  The  formal  discussion  of  this  paper  will  be 
opened  by  Mr.  Montefiore  Bienenstock,  of  St.  Louis. 

By   MONTEFIORE   BIENENSTOCK, 
ST.  LOUIS,  MO. 

My  appearance  before  you  this  afternoon  reminds  me  of  the  story 
of  the  negro  who,  when  asked  to  change  a  ten-dollar  bill,  said : 
"Ah  haven't  got  the  change,  boss,  but  Ah  thanks  you  for  the 
compliment."  I  also  thank  you  for  the  compliment  of  offering 
me  the  privilege  of  presenting  my  humble  views;  and  while  I 
haven't  the  full  change  in  return  for  your  expectations  I'll  give 
you  the  best  I  can  by  way  of  discussing  Dr.  Bogen's  splendid  paper. 

Once  upon  a  time  a  lady  gave  her  son  Willie  a  chameleon.  The 
next  day  she  called  the  boy  and  asked :  "How's  the  chameleon, 
Willie  ?"  To  which  Willie  answered :  "The  chameleon  is  all  broke 
up."  "Broke  up!  Why,  Willie,  how  is  that?"  "Oh  !v  he  said, 
"this  morning  I  put  it  on  my  brown  coat  and  it  turned  brown; 
in  the  afternoon  I  put  it  on  my  blue  trousers  and  it  turned  blue, 
and  this  evening  I  put  it  on  my  Dolly  Varden  sash  and  it  broke  up." 


266  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

The  social  worker  is  a  great  deal  like  this  chameleon  in  reference 
to  trying  to  please  all  the  members  of  his  board.  It  is  his  business 
to  have  a  color  of  his  own  on  all  the  important  questions,  and 
not  merely  to  try  to  reflect  the  opinions  of  each  member  of  the 
board.  The  chameleon  policy  is  the  beginning  of  a  "break  up" 
for  him  in  his  work.  Of  course,  he  must  get  the  general  opinion 
and  desire  of  those  for  whom  he  works,  but  he  must  carry  out 
their  ideas  in  his  own  way,  and  must  also  give  opinions  and 
thoughts  of  his  own  on  the  facts  of  his  work  for  the  board  to  carry 
out.  He  is,  therefore,  at  once  a  leader  and  a  follower — a  reality 
and  a  reflection.  But  he  cannot  be  a  chameleon,  and  change  with 
every  viewpoint  to  the  color  of  the  cloth  worn  by  individual  mem- 
bers of  his  board.  He  must  become  recognized  as  a  social  leader, 
as  well  as  a  follower,  and  the  right  arm  of  men  and  women  with 
ideas  in  which  he  concurs  for  social  benefit.  Just  how  to  do  this 
is  the  question  each  social  worker  must  solve  for  himself.  A  few 
remarks  along  the  lines  of  this  question  are  highly  apropos. 

Miss  Kate  Barnard,  Charity  Commissioner  of  Oklahoma,  a 
young  woman  of  rare  enthusiasm  and  ideals,  came  into  my  office 
about  five  years  ago,  and  remarked,  among  other  things:  "Mr. 
Bienenstock,  it  is  a  great  pleasure  to  meet  you,  because  you  are 
doing  so  much  for  'civilization'  and  'humanity.' "  I  answered : 
"Miss  Barnard,  I  do  not  know  'civilization'  or  'humanity/  at  least 
in  the  aggregate.  I  know  these  terms  in  general,  but  my  knowl- 
edge is  of  individuals  and  not  abstractions/' 

The  charity  worker  must  realize  this  at  the  outset.  He  must 
know  men,  women  and  children  personally,  and  not  in  the  mass, 
though  such  knowledge  comes  later,  and  for  purposes  of  statistics 
is  not  to  be  ignored.  The  social  worker  must  also  know  his  com- 
munity, the  rich  members  of  it  as  well  as  the  poor.  For  him  this 
community — and  this  includes  the  idea  of  it  as  a  municipality — 
must  indeed  be  a  profound  study.  A  social  worker  who  never 
looks  beyond  his  office  walls  in  the  alleviation  or  amelioration  to 
which  he  is  pledged  and  privileged  is  no  social  worker  in  the  sense 
I  mean  at  all.  He  becomes  a  dead  issue,  and  drops  into  decay  and 
oblivion  that  usually  follows.  In  fact,  he  even  clogs  the  energies 
of  the  community  which  depends  on  him  for  outlook  and  view- 
point on  many  topics  that  come  within  his  scope.  Such  a  charity 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  267 

worker  has  missed  his  place,  and  deserves  to  be  looked  upon  in 
the  manner  so  ably  set  forth  by  Dr.  Bogen. 

But  the  social  worker  of  today  means  so  much  more  than  the 
mere  man  who  dispenses  alms  or  deals  out  dollars  or  doughnuts. 
In  a  convention  of  this  kind,  or  in  life  in  general,  there  is  a  curious 
tendency  to  think  charity  a  thing  apart.  It  is  not.  It  is  not  the 
segregation  of  ideas  or  people,  but  rather  the  promotion  of  all 
things  that  will  disseminate  each.  Charity  means  much  more  than 
that  which  is  locked  in  the  social  worker's  brain  and  bosom.  It  is 
general  and  universal.  There  is  one  point  in  Dr.  Bogen's  paper, 
and  only  one,  that  touched  the  point  I  have  in  mind.  I  don't 
know  that  I  can  quote  the  exact  words,  but  here  is  the  substance : 
"That  it  is  only  a  question  of  time  when  charity,  which  is  now 
taken  out  of  the  hands  of  the  individual  and  put  in  the  control 
of  the  organization,  will  become  entirely  a  municipal  function." 
This  rings  true,  and  is  in  line  with  progressive  thought.  Wherever 
a  charity  office  works  hand  in  hand  with  the  Police  Department — 
not  merely  to  arrest  people,  though  to  help  justice  must  always 
be  a  large  part  of  charity,  but  to  work  with  the  municipal  authori- 
ties for  the  relief  of  distress  in  its  various  forms — there  will  the 
social  worker  attain  his  highest  success.  In  fact,  the  true  social 
worker  should  study  the  statutes  of  his  city,  and  ought  to  have  a 
general  knowledge  of  law  as  well.  He  should  also  know  various 
legislators,  and  have  a  current  knowledge  of  general  legislation, 
especially  on  subjects  that  interest  him.  In  this  way  the  social 
worker  can  come  into  the  fullest  realization  of  his  powers  for 
benefit. 

This  is  the  first  time  I  know  of  that  the  social  worker  has  been 
brought  into  limelight,  individually,  at  a  public  conference.  It 
is  meet  and  proper  that  social  work  should  be  ranked  among  the 
professions,  though  the  word  vocation,  as  applied  in  this  connec- 
tion, seems  a  better  term;  as  containing  less  lip  and  more  heart 
expression,  and  real  activity.  Profession  implies  something  by 
which  we  earn  a  living;  vocation  implies  choice  and  life  work. 
But  a  quibble  on  words  is  not  in  order. 

The  mistake  made  by  so  many  social  workers  is  the  idea  that 
their  work  removes  them  in  anywise  from  the  ordinary  scheme  of 


268  PROCEEDING8   OF   THE   SIXTH 

things,  or  people  who  are  engaged  in  other  pursuits.  The  social 
worker  must  not  differentiate  himself.  Nor  must  he  deem  his  work 
of  such  vital  consequence  that  it  must  obsess  every  moment  of 
his  waking  and  sleeping  hours.  Social  work  is  a  tremendous 
strain,  and  the  nerve-racking  tension  of  the  day  must  be  mitigated 
by  pleasures,  such  as  all  men  enjoy,  when  the  worker  has  time 
for  leisure.  No  work  that  I  know  is  so  apt  to  prey  on  the  mind 
as  well  as  the  other  faculties,  to  the  extent  of  rendering  the  worker 
entirely  unfit  for  the  zeal,  earnestness  and  enthusiasm  which  must 
always  be  his  for  the  best  accomplishment.  However,  this  does 
not  mean  that  the  social  worker  must  keep  his  work  always  at 
the  office.  Some  people  think  social  workers  bores  if  they  discuss 
their  work  too  frequently — in  fact,  that  is  just  what  they  are. 
But  there  is  a  wise  rule  in  all  things,  and  the  social  worker  must 
discuss  his  work  after  hours;  must  discuss  it  persistently  with 
those  whom  he  wants  to  help  in  the  causes  in  which  lies  his  heart. 

As  I  said  before,  the  social  worker  must  be  much  more  than 
a  mere  alms  doler.  The  details  and  multiplicity  of  ideas  that  flow 
into  him  are  necessarily  to  be  utilized  in  every  possible  way.  And 
they  must  be  studied  and  digested  very  carefully,  and  discussed 
dispassionately  for  the  acquisition  of  the  best  results.  This  re- 
quires the  reading  of  the  current  literature  and  books  devoted  to 
social  uplift.  Every  newspaper  item  connected  with  or  about 
charity  work  is  of  interest  for  knowledge  and  study.  Financial 
questions  and  problems  are  of  especial  interest  for  him,  and 
economic  conditions  must  be  food  for  serious  reflection. 

Members  of  charity  boards  ought  also  to  educate  themselves 
just  as  must  the  paid  social  worker.  No  good  work  can  be  done 
by  anyone,  even  if  he  attends  meetings  regularly,  if  he  does  not 
make  some  attempt  to  master  the  questions  up  for  solution.  There 
are  some  cases  where  vanity  and  mere  desire  for  public  notoriety 
make  men  serve  on  charity  boards.  This  should  be  discouraged 
and  frowned  upon.  The  worker  must  become  the  thinker.  Nor 
must  the  board  member  merely  ride  hobbies  at  the  expense  of  gen- 
eral work  done.  A  harmonious  fulfillment  of  ideals  and  ideas, -or 
an  approximation  thereof,  is  the  desideratum.  In  fact,  sacrifice 
of  personal  wishes  is  often  necessary  to  the  better  solution  of  gen- 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  269 

eral  problems.    The  most  important,  and  the  thing  within  practical 
scope,  is  the  duty  of  the  board  as  a  whole. 

Now  to  return  to  the  paid  worker.  He  must  not  think  he  knows 
it  all,  any  more  than  any  individual  board  member  should  have  a 
similar  thought.  In  many  cases  it  is  better  for  him  to  be  merely 
like  the  little  boy  who  said  he  was  a  director  in  the  bank  because 
he  directed  the  mail.  When  good  ideas  are  presented  to  him  it  is 
not  only  his  duty,  but  to  his  decided  interest  to  carry  them  out 
willingly,  and  even  when  necessary  do  the  very  drudgery  of  it  all. 
If  people  who  serve  on  boards,  and  social  workers  who  carry  out 
the  work,  either  initiated  by  board  members  or  themselves,  know 
their  business,  the  greatest  benefits  will  accrue.  But  here  is  the 
point:  the  question  of  prevention  is  the  main  problem  of  charity. 
The  remedial  end  of  it  is  much  easier,  though  in  itself  presents 
overwhelming  difficulties.  Prevention  and  remedy  take  brains 
and  practical  sense.  These  come  through  observation,  study  and 
serious  thought,  if  they  come  at  all.  And  this  leads  to  the  idea 
of  charity  in  general. 

I  stated  before,  that  it  is  not  a  thing  apart.  It  belongs  to  every- 
day life.  You  cannot  write  merely  with  words,  nor  build  a  house 
merely  of  brick  and  stone.  You  build  four  walls  and  call  it  a 
home,  or  a  club,  or  a  charity  building,  a  depot,  or  whatever  name 
its  purpose  has.  It  is  your  thought  of  it  that  consecrates  it.  It  is 
your  idea  of  charity,  too,  that  makes  it.  And  charity  is  of  the 
home,  the  parlor,  the  kitchen,  and  the  rest  of  the  house.  It  is  not 
merely  an  office  term,  a  fad,  a  folly,  and  an  excuse  for  the  ex- 
pression of  hypocritical,  or  even  genuine  impulses.  It  must  be 
common  to  the  social  worker,  and  all  the  members  of  his  board, 
toward  each  other,  and  the  entire  community.  It  has  a  higher 
meaning  than  the  mere  dispensing  of  funds.  It  means  kindliness, 
courtesy,  consideration  and  good-will.  It  also  means  common 
sense,  and  its  application  to  the  little  problems,  as  well  as  the 
greater  ones,  of  life.  If  members  of  boards  will  realize  this  in  their 
relation  with  the  paid  social  workers:  that  charity  is  sympathy 
and  good-will;  that  each  one,  whether  he  be  a  business-man,  a 
lawyer,  doctor,  architect  or  mechanic,  is  in  himself  a  social  worker, 
and  necessarily  must  be;  much  will  be  accomplished.  The  social 


270  PROCEEDINGS   OP   THE   SIXTH 

worker  must  also  fully  realize  this  in  all  his  attitudes,  not  by 
practice  and  forethought,  but,  as  with  all  the  others,  because  of 
life  training  in  gentility  and  refinement  of  feeling  to  all  around 
him.  Charity  in  this  sense  must  be  promulgated  or  inculcated 
among  the  rich  as  well  as  the  poor.  If  this  spirit  prevails  there 
can  be  no  friction,  nor  can  the  question  of  the  relationship  of  the 
social  worker  to  his  organization  be  one  entitled  to  more  than  mere 
passing  comment. 

MR.  CHESTER  J.  TELLER,  New  Orleans :  I  can  understand  how 
this  subject,  the  relations  of  social  workers  to  their  boards,  might 
be  a  very  interesting  and  entertaining  subject  for  the  Section  of 
Social  Workers  had  they  had  a  little  private  meeting  of  their  own. 
It  surely  is  a  subject  of  great  importance.  It  is  one  which  both 
the  successful  and  the  unsuccessful  social  worker  might  find  very 
interesting,  and  one,  too,  which  might  bring  out  some  very  in- 
teresting reminscences.  But,  Miss  Chairman,  and  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  I  really  can't  see  why,  in  a  gathering  of  this  sort,  where 
there  is  some  real  work  to  be  done,  where  we  meet  only  once  in 
two  years,  for  earnest,  active,  serious  work,  we  should  give  our- 
selves over  to  such  an  unprofessional  subject  as  the  relation  of  the 
social  worker  to  his  organization.  I  am  under  the  impression  this 
subject  was  brought  into  the  program  this  afternoon  for  the  express 
purpose  of  elevating  the  tone  of  our  profession,  and  I  don't  know 
of  anything  more  lacking  in  dignity,  more  unprofessional  than  the 
open  and  official  statements  that  have  been  made  here  on  this  plat- 
form in  regard  to  the  social  worker  and  his  organization. 

I  consider  this  subject  purely  a  matter  of  interest  and  importance 
between  the  social  worker  in  each  case  and  his  organization  in  each 
case.  If  we  are  to  take  up  the  time  of  our  society  we  ought  to  do 
it  in  the  proper  way.  We  have  to  ascertain  first  how  many  of  our 
social  workers  have  given  their  time  and  gone  into  their  work  and 
made  special  studies  by  which  they  have  equipped  themselves  for 
their  profession.  We  have,  secondly,  to  persuade  persons  of  high 
intelligence  to  go  into  the  profession  and  to  study  as  the  rabbis  do, 
as  the  lawyers  or  medical  men  do. 

It  doesn't  elevate  the  tone  of  our  profession  in  the  slightest 
degree  to  come  here  and  speak  of  the  boards  with  which  we  have 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF    JEWISH    CHARITIES.  271 

been  in  relation,  or  the  boards  with  which  some  of  our  colleagues 
have  been  connected. 

I  believe  tht  this  subject  ought  to  take  a  more  serious  tone,  if 
we  are  to  get  any  good  out  of  it.  I  feel  that  whether  we  have  been 
successful  or  not  that  depends  largely  upon  ourselves;  that  our 
relations  are  purely  one  of  individual  capacity;  that  they  are 
relations  for  which  we  are  altogether  responsible. 

After  all,  there  isn't  a  field  worth  while  in  the  world,  where 
earnest  minds  don't  have  to  come  in  conflict  with  other  minds, 
where  they  don't  have  to  meet  emergencies  in  administration,  solve 
knotty  difficulties  with  other  people.  That  man  who  attributes 
his  failure  to  the  ingratitude  of  his  constituents,  or  the  trouble  he 
has  had  with  a  board,  or  to  the  fact  that  others  misunderstand 
him,  why  that  man  is  simply  a  failure.  In  every  case  where  we 
are  dealing  with  large  problems  and  where  we  have  real  work  to 
do,  it's  a  part  of  our  work  to  make  other  people  understand  us. 
It  is  part  of  our  work  to  succeed  in  spite  of  difficulties,  and  to  be 
indeed  even  grateful  for  the  difficulties  we  encounter  in  the  admin- 
istration of  our  duties. 

REV.  RUDOLPH  I.  COFFEE,  Pittsburg:  If  I  may  quote  a  well- 
known  phrase  of  Jacob  A.  Riis,  I  should  say  that  these  discussions 
prove  how  little  one-half  knows  about  how  the  other  half  acts  and 
lives.  Our  discussions  lack  point  for  this  reason,  and  we  would 
accomplish  more  were  we  better  acquainted  with  the  facts  on  both 
sides.  On  Tuesday  afternoon,  some  person  at  the  Conference  on 
Dependent  Children  wanted  to  know  why  the  Jewish  people  do  not 
take  up  farming.  I  explained  to  the  audience,  mostly  Christians, 
that  the  speaker  was  quite  mistaken,  for  the  Jews,  increasingly 
in  number,  are  becoming  farmers.  The  various  agencies  were  out- 
lined, and  I  told  of  the  good  work  that  is  being  accomplished  in 
several  of  our  States.  I  was  greatly  surprised  that  so  few  mem- 
bers of  this  Conference  were  acquainted  with  these  details.  One 
of  our  leading  workers  doubted  my  word,  yet  this  very  morning 
a  committee  came  here,  representing,  out  of  the  Jewish  people  of 
St.  Louis,  twenty-seven  prospective  farmers,  who  are  eager  to 
purchase  a  splendid  plot  of  ground  in  Eastern  Illinois.  In  every 
large  city  you  will  find  a  strong  desire,  among  our  Jewish  people, 


272  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

to  get  out  of  the  crowded  centers  and  move  to  the  farm.  Yet  I 
am  surprised,  beyond  measure,  at  the  lack  of  knowledge  shown  by 
our  Jewish  people,  and  even  social  workers,  about  this  movement. 

Another  example  may  be  observed  in  the  discussion  held  this 
morning.  We  observe  that  Jewish  workers  are  defending  the 
system  of  placing  dependent  children  in  large  buildings  or  institu- 
tions, while  our  Christian  workers  have  given  up  this  method 
because  they  have  found  better  ways  to  provide  for  children. 
Massachusetts,  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  has  boarded  out  children 
in  private  homes.  At  least  eight  States  are  successfully  doing  this 
work,  yet  this  morning  we  heard  the  remark  made  that  the  system 
of  boardng  out  children  is  yet  in  the  experimental  stage.  Two 
years  ago,  eleven  societies  caring  for  dependent  children  in 
Southern  California  gave  up  the  institution  plan  and  formed  an 
agency  for  placing  children  in  board.  What  has  been  discarded 
by  the  Christians  as  out  of  date,  was  accepted  as  good  enough  by 
our  Jewish  people,  who  started  soon  after  in  Los  Angeles  an 
Orphan  Asylum  for  Jewish  Children. 

And,  finally,  another  example  of  this  unwillingness  to  under- 
stand the  other  side  is  observed  in  this  present  discussion.  You 
have  just  heard  it  stated  that  is  is  unworthy  of  this  Conference  to 
discuss  the  relation  between  the  social  worker  and  the  board,  but 
I  say  no  subject  is  more  vital.  It  would  be  instructive,  though 
not  pleasant  readng,  to  know  just  know  many  social  workers  are 
unable  to  put  their  whole  souls  into  their  work,  because  of  friction 
with  the  board.  There  are  three  resident  workers  in  Pittsburg 
leaving  their  positions  this  month,  because  of  this  inability  to  work 
in  harmony  with  their  boards.  Boards  of  institutions  have  been 
called  "planks  of  ignorance/'  and  the  trained  worker  should  be 
aided  to  work  with  these  directors  in  harmony.  Would  it  not  be 
a  splendid  contribution  if  something  could  be  done  to  bring  a 
better  spirit  of  relationship  between  the  worker  and  his  board? 
Our  discussion  should  aim  to  bring  about  a  closer  feeling  of  friend- 
ship, more  harmony  and  less  strife.  Accomplishing  so  much,  this 
year,  our  discussion  will  not  be  in  vain. 

MR.  CYRUS  L.  SULZBERGER:  May  I  say  just  a  word  on  behalf 
of  the  kid-glove  class  of  ignoramus? 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  273 

I  think  Mr.  Teller  spoke  more  wisdom  in  two  minutes  than  we 
have  heard  here  in  the  entire  discussion.  As  in  all  other  walks 
of  life,  all  the  dissatisfaction  throughout  creation  depends  upon 
yourself,  not  upon  any  outside  influences.  That  social  worker,  or 
that  broker,  or  that  scrub-woman,  that  rabbi  or  that  blacksmith, 
who  is  trying  to  hold  his  place  by  pull  deserves  to  lose  it,  and 
probably  will.  That  employe  in  any  walk  in  life  who  is  looking 
first  to  cut  a  figure  with  his  employer  instead  of  performing  his 
labor  never  will  succeed.  There  is  no  profound  philosophy  in  this. 
Your  duty  you  must  do,  and  as  one  of  the  kid-glove  philanthropists 
I  tell  you  the  board  will  appreciate  it.  Cut  the  figure,  and  the  board 
will  recognize.  That  is  a  very  simple  propositon. 

The  relationship  between  the  social  worker  and  the  boards  of 
directors  of  all  the  organizations  I  have  been  connected  with  have 
always  been  fortunate.  We  have  had  no  time  to  appreciate  that 
they  were  our  inferiors,  as  were  here  offered  today.  I  am  glad  to 
have  learned.  That  is  one  idea  at  least,  one  item  of  information 
that  I  can  carry  home  to  my  associates  and  tell  them  that  it  is  the 
judgment  of  the  Jewish  charity  workers  of  the  United  States  that 
they  do  not  regard  themselves  as  the  partners  of  the  boards  of 
directors. 

DR.  BOGEN  :  As  a  matter  of  personal  privilege,  I  take  the  liberty 
of  speaking  again.  I  do  not  intend  to  take  up  the  subject  anew. 

I  can  readily  appreciate  the  sentiment  of  one  of  the  speakers, 
that  success  or  failure  depends  upon  the  qualifications  of  the  per- 
son in  question.  I  thought  so  myself  when  I  was  young.  But 
eventually,  when  you  come  in  contact  with  the  different  boards, 
you  begin  to  appreciate  that  there  are  other  factors  of  success  out- 
side of  personal  merit.  Every  social  worker  knows  that  many  a 
sleepless  night  is  spent  in  thinking  over  the  difficulties  with  the 
directors.  It  is  a  blessing  when  a  person  happens  to  work  with 
a  good  board.  Mr.  Sulzberger  is,  however,  not  a  representative 
of  the  average  board  member.  There  are  only  a  few  that  are  of 
his  caliber.  I  could  get  along  with  Mr.  Sulzberger  without  any 
difficulty. 

As  a  rule,  however,  a  social  worker  cannot  depend  upon  fair 
treatment.  A  superintendent  of  an  orphan  asylum,  for  instance, 


274  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

being  young  and  enthusiastic,  may  express  opinions  that  are  too 
radical.  He  is  liable  to  lose  his  position,  he  may  be  discharged 
by  a  committee,  and  not  because  be  is  not  qualified,  but  because 
the  board  did  not  appreciate  his  endeavors.  The  directors,  on  the 
other  hand,  are  not  supposed  to  be  passive.  Proper  criticism  and 
expression  of  different  views  should  be  appreciated,  but  let  the  pro- 
fessional worker  have  his  chance.  I  believe  it  does  good  for  the 
social  workers  to  be  frank — let  the  employer  know  our  own  opinion 
of  our  own  inefficiency,  but  let  him  know  also  that  we  have  the 
right  to  judge  our  work.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  social 
worker  should  not  discuss  his  work  as  any  other  professional  worker. 

There  was  a  time  when  the  rabbis  took  possession  of  the  plat- 
form of  the  Conference,  and  we  never  had  a  chance  to  say  a  word ; 
now  we  have  gained  some  ground,  let  us  keep  it  and  let  us  not  be 
afraid  that  it  will  hurt  our  "dignity." 

CHAIRMAN  WIENER:  A  paper  has  been  interpolated  on  the 
program,  and  we  will  now  listen  to  Mr.  Folk  Younker. 

Mr.  Folk  Younker,  Secretary  of  the  New  York  Young  Men's 
Hebrew  Association,  thereupon  read  the  following  paper: 

WORK  OF  THE  Y.  M.  H.  A.  OF  NEW  YORK. 

By  FALK  YOUNKER, 

NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 

The  activities  of  the  Y.  M.  H.  A.  of  New  York  are  to  a  large 
extent  modeled  after  that  spelendid  institution,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
About  sixty  years  ago  this  latter  association  was  organized  for  the 
purpose  of  keeping  young  men  within  the  church,  and  away  from 
the  lowering  tendencies  of  city  life.  Built  upon  a  religious  founda- 
tion, this  institution  has  maintained  its  standard  and  increased  its 
prestige  so  that  today  it  is  a  world-wide  association,  which  re- 
ceives liberal  support  and  conducts  a  multitude  of  man-building 
activities. 

Thirty-six  years  ago  the  Y.  M.  H.  A.  of  New  York  was  founded. 
The  need  was  already  felt  in  those  days  for  an  organization  around 
which  young  men  could  rally  for  mental,  moral,  social  and  physical 
development.  In  its  early  days  it  had  as  its  foremost  workers 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  275 

such  men  as  Oscar  S.  Straus,  Judge  Greenbaum,  Judge  Platzek, 
David  Leventritt,  Henry  M.  Leipziger,  Daniel  P.  Hayes  and  many 
others  of  equal  prominence.  These  men  to  this  day  recall  with 
pride  and  gratitude  the  training  they  received  as  active  members 
of  the  Association  in  the  formative  period  of  their  careers. 

The  value  of  an  institution  like  the  Y.  M.  H.  A.,  besides  teaching 
loyalty  to  faith,  lies  in  its  possibility  of  developing  social  workers, 
who,  by  their  training,  their  ability  and  their  Jewish  fervor,  are 
fitted  to  take  up  the  many  problems  which  confront  the  community 
and  help  in  their  solution.  In  a  city  the  need  of  such  a  character- 
building  association  is  strongly  felt.  The  degrading  influences 
of  the  saloon,  the  street-corner,  the  low-grade  dance  hall  and 
theater  must  be  overcome.  But  even  in  the  smaller  towns,  where 
twenty  or  more  Jewish  young  men  associate,  such  societies  should 
be  established,  in  order  that  our  youth  may  be  led  to  take  a  live 
and  intelligent  interest  in  Jewish  as  well  as  civic  affairs,  and 
actively  participate  in  all  matters  which  concern  the  well-being 
of  their  city. 

A  Y.  M.  H.  A.  must  be  so  conducted  as  to  gain  for  it  the  respect 
and  support  of  all  good  citizens.  It  must  be  looked  upon  as  a  force 
for  good  in  the  community.  Its  aim  should  be  higher  than  that 
of  a  mere  social  club,  though  its  work  must  necessarily  be,  to  a 
large  extent,  of  a  social  nature.  The  mission  of  the  organization 
must,  however,  be  kept  steadfast  in  mind.  No  community  should 
permit  the  name  of  the  Y.  M.  H.  A.  to  be  used  unless  the  leaders 
devote  their  time  and  energy  to  building  up  an  association  that 
will  stand  for  Judaism,  for  patriotism  and  for  brotherhood.  The 
great  success  of  the  Y.  M.  H.  A.  may  be  summed  up  in  a  few 
words:  Earnestness,  enthusiasm  and  devotion  to  high  ideals. 

On  the  30th  of  this  month  it  will  be  exactly  ten  years  since  the 
present  fully  equipped  home  of  the  New  York  Association  was 
dedicated.  This  building  is  situated  at  the  corner  of  92d  Street 
and  Lexington  Avenue,  and  is  the  generous  gift  of  Mr.  Jacob  H. 
Schiff.  Since  its  opening  the  membership  has  increased  from  800 
to  over  3,500 ;  the  annual  attendance  from  60,000  to  over  200,000 ; 
annual  receipts  and  expenditures  from  $12,000  to  nearly  $40,000. 
One  of  the  main  activities  is  an  employment  department,  which  is 


276  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

non-sectarian.  Last  year  over  1,200  positions  were  secured  for 
deserving  young  men.  An  evening  school  is  conducted.  The  at- 
tendance is  composed  mainly  of  working  boys,  sixteen  years  and 
upward,  who  have  been  obliged  to  leave  school  before  completing 
their  education.  The  principal  subjects  taught  are:  Penmanship, 
stenography,  preparatory  business  and  advanced  commercial  courses, 
civil  service,  mechanical  drawing,  civics,  English  to  foreigners, 
English  and  debating,  Spanish,  French  and  German.  Last  year 
over  400  young  men  attended  these  classes. 

The  Association  maintains  a  public  reference  library  and  reading- 
room.  The  library  contains  over  12,000  standard  volumes. 

The  attendance  last  year  was  over  35,000.  Lectures  and  enter- 
tainments are  frequently  held.  These  consist  of  addresses  by 
prominent  speakers,  prize  debates  and  elocution  contests,  given 
by  the  young  men.  A  series  of  health  talks  is  arranged  each  season 
and  conducted  by  well-known  physicians.  Chanukah  and  Purim 
plays  are  given  yearly.  One  of  the  senior  clubs  of  the  building 
conducts  a  civic  forum;  public  men  and  city  officials  deliver  the 
addresses  and  answer  questions  put  to  them  by  those  who  attend. 
The  talent  secured  for  the  various  affairs  is  always  high-class,  and 
it  is  gratifying  to  observe  how  young  people  can  be  taught  to  appre- 
ciate entertainments  of  a  refined  character. 

A  series  of  grand  rally  meetings  is  also  held  during  the  winter, 
to  which  young  men  from  all  parts  of  the  city  are  invited,  regardless 
of  membership  in  the  Association.  Heart-to-heart  talks  are  given 
on  practical  and  ethical  topics,  and  these  are  well  attended.  A 
short  entertainment  is  also  arranged  in  connection  with  these 
affairs.  The  attendance  ranges  from  400  to  700.  Keligious  ser- 
vices are  conducted  every  Friday  evening,  arranged  specially  for 
young  people.  The  various  clubs  of  the  buildings  are  represented 
at  the  services,  and  members  take  turns  in  occupying  a  seat  on 
the  platform  and  reading  one  of  the  weekly  prayers.  A  trained 
choir  of  children's  voices,  selected  from  the  Hebrew  Free  School, 
helps  to  make  the  service  very  inspiring.  The  weekly  attendance 
ranges  from  250  to  500.  Our  ministers  and  laymen  encourage 
this  work  by  responding  to  our  invitations  to  deliver  weekly 
addresses. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  277 

A  Hebrew  school  was  started  a  few  years  ago  to  provide  religious 
instruction  to  the  poor  children  in  the  neighborhood.  The  school 
fills  a  long-felt  want,  and  the  attendance  is  so  large  that  the  school 
is  divided  into  two  divisions,  each  section  meeting  twice  weekly. 
The  children  receive  a  thorough  training  in  Hebrew  and  religion. 
Nearly  600  children  attend. 

Sabbath  afternoon  services,  arranged  specially  for  children,  are 
held  weekly. 

Services  are  held  on  the  high  Holy  Days,  which  the  young  men 
of  the  Association  and  their  parents  and  relatives  attend.  The 
gymnasium,  of  course,  is  a  very  attractive  feature  of  the  work, 
and  is  the  means  of  interesting  a  large  number  of  young  men. 
This  department  is  under  the  direction  of  a  competent  physical 
director.  Classes  meet  every  night  in  the  week,  except  Fridaj 
and  Sunday,  and  nearly  500  young  men  are  enrolled. 

The  summer  vacation  camp  is  also  maintained  to  enable  working 
boys  to  spend  their  vacation  amid  healthful  surroundings. 

The  fees  for  the  above  privileges  are  moderate,  and  within  the 
reach  of  all  worthy  young  men. 

The  above  is  a  brief  outline  of  the  work  of  some  of  the  principal 
activities.  The  directors  of  the  Association  are  anxious  to  spread 
a  knowledge  of  this  work,  so  that  other  cities  may  profit  by  the 
experience  of  the  parent  association.  Information,  giving  all  de- 
tails, will  be  cheerfully  furnished  at  all  times. 

In  conclusion,  let  me  quote  from  the  address  of  Eev.  Dr.  Samuel 
Schulman,  delivered  at  the  thirty-fifth  anniversary  exercises,  held 
last  year.  Dr.  Schulman  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Association : 

SOCIAL    INFLUENCE. 

"The  Y.  M.  H.  A.  seeks  to  equip  young  men  with  power  by 
providing  them  with  the  proper  environments  for  recreation.  It 
supplements  the  home  by  giving  them  a  second  home,  under  whose 
roof  are  grouped  all  the  opportunities  of  a  complete  and  many- 
sided  recreation,  interpreted  in  the  most  comprehensive  spirit. 
And  it  is  in  recreation  that  men's  moral  power  is  generated.  What 
a  man's  possibilities  of  attainment  for  himself  may  be,  he  seeks 


278  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

in  his  working  hours.  What  he  really  is  as  a  character  and  of 
what  service  he  can  be  to  his  fellow-men,  he  shows  in  his  recreations. 
What  a  man  is  in  character  I  cannot  discover  by  the  amount  of 
money  he  makes.  I  get  nearer  to  this  by  seeing  how  he  spends  that 
money.  It  is,  therefore,  important  what  a  man's  recreation  is; 
if  it  is  in  the  saloon  or  in  the  gambling  den  it  is  no  recreation, 
but  simply  a  continuation  of  the  fever  and  greed  which  possess 
us  in  our  daily  tasks. 

MISSION    OF    THE    ASSOCIATION. 

"What  we  need  is  a  Judaism  that  shall  be  modern,  liberal,  re- 
ligious and  loyal  to  the  great  distinctive  Jewish  institutions  and 
Jewish  symbols  which  are  the  indispensable  expressions  of  the 
Jewish  spirit  and  the  Jewish  ideals.  The  function  of  the  Y.  M. 
H.  A.  is  to  train  a  generation  of  young  men  who  will  thus  be 
liberal  and  loyal  Americans  and  Jews,  and  who  will  be  able,  with- 
out losing  their  Jewish  individuality,  to  work  shoulder  to  shoulder 
with  Christianity  for  the  moral  and  spiritual  building  up  of  the 
American  people  in  the  great  work  which  Israel,  as  a  priest  people, 
is  doing  in  the  service  of  humanity." 

CHAIRMAN  WIENER:  "Social  Work  as  a  Profession,"  by  Mr. 
Louis  H.  Levin,  Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Baltimore,  Md. 


SOCIAL  WOKK  AS  A  PROFESSION. 

By  Louis  H.  LEVIN, 
Secretary  Federated  Jewish  Charities, 

BALTIMORE,   MD. 

We  hear  the  term  "scientific  charity"  so  often  that  it  were  not 
Burprising  if  the  public  came  to  think  of  the  professional  social 
worker  as  a  kind  of  scientist,  with  his  microscope,  laboratory  and 
long  and  dull  lectures.  Indeed,  the  social  worker  has,  in  effect, 
all  of  these,  but  he  is,  nevertheless,  so  far  as  his  calling  is  con- 
cerned, not  a  scientist,  and  science  cannot  be  properly  predicated  of 
his  subject.  Scientific  charity  should  rather  be  systematized 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  279 

charity,  for  the  professional  worker  is  really  a  systematize!1,  and 
his  task  is,  today,  to  establish  a  system  of  financial,  social  and 
educational  assistance,  which  will  adequately  meet  our  needs,  and 
which  will  properly  supplement  the  industrial  and  commercial 
system  dominating  modern  life. 

Our  charities  and  philanthropies  are  not  so  old  that  many  of  us 
cannot  remember  their  evolution  in  administration  and  manage- 
ment. First  came  the  small  society,  taking  care  of  the  sporadic  case, 
local  or  transient.  The  methods  were  simple.  Money  was  col- 
lected by  a  figurative  passing  of  the  hat,  and  the  applicant  received 
the  proceeds.  On  favorable  occasions  the  collection  proved  a 
veritable  windfall  to  the  beneficiary;  again,  if  his  mazel  was  not 
up  to  the  standard,  the  returns  were  small,  and  the  applicant  would 
be  correspondingly  disappointed.  There  were  no  investigations, 
no  records.  The  ability  to  tell  a  strong,  pathetic  story  was  a 
valuable  asset.  Men  traveled  all  over  the  country  on  no  other 
capital  than  a  moving  tale  of  woe.  Many  are  able  still  to  go 
through  the  same  performance. 

As  communities  grew  and  applicants  increased,  the  necessity  for 
a  regularly  gathered  fund  and  a  formal  place  for  distribution  be- 
came evident.  Officers  and  directors  made  their  appearance,  and 
a  voluntary  secretary  wrote  letters,  drew  checks,  and  read  minutes 
to  a  watchful  board.  The  boast  was  that  all  money  collected  was 
given  away;  printing  was  begged,  and  postage  came  out  of  direc- 
tors' pockets.  Giving  became  more  a  matter  of  calculation,  for 
if  there  was  only  a  circumscribed  and  definite  amount  to  be  dis- 
tributed, care  had  to  be  taken  that  no  one  received  more  than  his 
share.  The  central  place  for  distribution  soon  brought  out  the  fact 
that  an  applicant  of  today  had  made  his  first  appearance  before,  and 
a  heated  discussion  at  times  arose  whether  the  memory  of  the 
secretary  or  a  director  was  to  be  trusted  or  whether  the  indignant 
protestations  of  the  applicant  were  to  prevail. 

Up  to  this  time  all  is  voluntary  work,  and  the  test  of  efficiency 
is  the  small  amount  spent  for  expenses.  But  the  community  grows, 
more  people  apply  for  aid,  and,  whereas  before  nearly  every  appli- 
cant, not  a  stranger,  was  known  to  a  director  of  the  association, 
now  there  comes  an  increasing  number,  of  whom  the  whole  board 


280  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

is  ignorant.  The  language  they  speak  is  beginning  to  be  un- 
intelligible, and  they  arrive  at  all  hours  of  the  day.  At  last  we  have 
reached  a  period  when  it  is  necessary  to  have  someone  on  guard 
every  day  to  receive  applicants,  and  occasionally  to  find  out 
whether  they  are  telling  the  truth.  For,  while  all  of  us  occasionally 
lapse  from  the  strict  letter  of  the  law,  the  applicant  caught  in  a 
fib  is  a  doomed  man.  At  this  point  the  paid  secretary  makes 
his  appearance. 

Of  course,  no  one  would  think  of  paying  the  secretary  a  living 
salary.  That  would  be  taking  the  bread  out  of  the  mouths  of  the 
poor,  and  the  secretary  was  the  only  poor  man  that  the  relief 
society  did  not  think  it  ought  to  bother  about.  He  was  generally 
a  kindly,  elderly  person,  who  could  read  and  write  fairly  well,  and 
who  could  put  down  on  paper  a  letter  dictated  by  the  president, 
without  errors  of  the  flagrant  sort.  The  directors  continue  to 
direct.  They  feel  that  they  are  entitled  to  their  share  of  influence, 
and  want  their  particular  wards  taken  care  of  as  well  as  the  wards 
of  the  other  directors.  About  this  time  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  society  looms  up  as  an  intellectual  communal  occasion,  and 
the  presidential  address  is  born.  It  is  now  quite  a  social  success  to 
appear  as  the  presiding  officer  of  the  chief  Jewish  relief  society, 
and  the  mayor  of  the  city  has  to  listen  to  the  official  presidential 
discourse. 

But  the  community  continues  to  grow.  Applicants  with  a  thou- 
sand and  one  complaints  appear;  the  board  is  beginning  to  feel 
restless  under  the  continual  doling  out  of  money  without  visible 
results,  and  it  is  tired,  too,  of  running  down  all  the  stories  the 
applicants  tell.  A  suspicion  dawns  upon  directors  that  you  can- 
not "size  a  man  up"  by  merely  looking  at  him ;  a  "cute,"  plausible 
fellow  has  deceived  the  shrewdest  member,  and,  finally,  the  sec- 
retary is  asked  to  devote  some  of  his  leisure  time  examining  into 
things,  and  his  salary  goes  up  a  peg.  At  last,  all  his  time  is 
taken  up — he  receives  about  enough  to  keep  soul  and  body  together, 
and,  behold,  our  first  Jewish  professional  worker ! 

With  this  beginning  the  rest  is  easy.  The  duties  of  the  office 
outgrow  the  services  of  one  person.  Other  salaried  agents  have 
to  be  added,  and  their  entire  time  consumed.  Budgets  increase,  a 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF    JEWISH    CHARITIES.  281 

greater  and  greater  amount  is  distributed,  and  directors  and  con- 
tributors begin  to  expect  the  same  care  and  expertness  in  distribut- 
ing this  fund  as  is  displayed  in  regular  and  orderly  business  houses. 
A  budget  of  $1,500  may  be  distributed  without  professional  frills, 
but  when  it  rises  to  $15.000  and  $20,000  and  even  to  $25,000,  the 
need  of  a  man  of  affairs  to  distribute  it  is  no  longer  a  matter  of 
dispute.  Not  only  is  there  the  question  of  Who,  but  also  of  How 
and  What.  The  board  can  no  longer  go  into  details;  someone  with 
experience,  judgment  and  knowledge  is  needed — a  man  or  woman 
who  gives  all  his  or  her  time  and  thought  to  the  affairs  of  the 
association,  and  who  is  adequately  paid  for  the  service.  Thus,  the 
profession  of  the  social  worker  is  created,  and  men  and  women 
begin  to  qualify  for  its  demands  and  duties. 

Now,  no  profession  can  exist  that  does  not  require  of  those  who 
take  it  up  both  training  and  study,  and  it  is  the  latter  that  dif- 
ferentiates the  professional  worker  of  today  from  the  unprofessional 
worker  of  a  few  years  ago,  or  even  of  today,  for  all  of  us  in  social 
and  philanthropic  work  cannot  be  said  to  be  professionals.  Study 
also  means  an  entirely  different  attitude  toward  work  and  toward 
the  problem  it  presents.  It  means  the  gathering  of  facts,  and  the 
patient  and  intelligent  interpretation  of  them.  It  means  new 
apprehensions,  wider  grasp;  it  means,  finally,  a  pursuit  of  the 
elements  of  dependence  into  the  domain  of  history,  economics  and 
civics,  and  a  more  intelligent  co-ordination  of  effort  toward  the  re- 
sult sought,  with  a  better  understanding'  of  what  is  ultimately 
desirable  and  possible. 

The  Jews  have  not,  it  must  be  admitted,  grasped  the  implications 
of  professional  social  work  as  readily  as  one  would  have  expected, 
judging  from  their  keen  and  eager  interest  in  social  and  philan- 
thropic questions.  Dr.  Boris  D.  Bogen,  in  his  valuable  monograph 
on  the  "Extent  of  Jewish  Philanthropy  in  the  United  States,"' 
states  that  489  of  1,191  institutions  mentioned  in  the  American 
Jewish  Year  Book,  1907-1908,  expended  $4,779,611  the  previous 
year.  It  would  be  quite  within  reason  to  say  that  today  no  less 
than  $6,000,000  a  year  (Mr.  Bogen  puts  it  at  $10,000,000)  is 
spent  by  Jewish  relief  societies,  institutions,  settlements  and  other 
similar  organizations.  This  is  a  vast  sum,  and  it  needs  no  argu- 


282  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

ment  to  convince  one  that  it  requires  skill  of  a  high  order  to 
distribute  it  so  that  it  will  do  good.  To  do  the  greatest  good  would 
tax  the  ingenuity  of  our  ablest  organizing  geniuses.  Dr.  Bogen 
was  able  to  discover  only  73  "Paid  Workers"  responsible  for  the 
distribution  of  this  vast  sum.  His  statistics  are  confessedly  in- 
complete, but  they  indicate  that  the  paid  worker  is  not  nearly  so 
plentiful  as  he  should  be.  Indeed,  unless  we  can  supplement  these 
73  with  a  goodly  number,  of  whom  he  has  no  account,  our  charities 
will  not  appear  so  progressive  and  intelligently  conducted  as  we 
are  in  the  habit  of  thinking  they  are. 

A  paid  worker,  as  I  have  said,  is  not  necessarily  a  professional 
worker — he  may  dabble  in  charity  or  philanthropy  as  a  side  issue, 
and  pick  up  a  few  extra  dollars.  Or  he  may  devote  his  whole  time 
to  his  present  work,  waiting  an  opportunity  for  something  better 
to  turn  up,  in  an  entirely  different  field.  The  professional  worker 
deserving  of  the  name  is  one  who  is  permanently  committed  to  the 
vocation  of  the  social  worker.  He  thinks  in  terms  of  his  calling, 
studies  how  it  may  be  improved  and  become  more  valuable  to  the 
community  he  serves;  how  it  can  be  enlarged  and  turned  to  fresh 
uses ;  finally,  how  he  can  equip  himself  for  the  greater  work.  To  the 
society  that  engages  him  he  becomes  a  source  of  information  and 
instruction.  The  expedients  and  experience  of  other  cities  he 
brings  to  his  board,  adapted  to  local  conditions,  and  he  is  an  expert 
adviser  in  all  it  intends  to  do.  We  can  see  the  effect  of  his  work 
in  the  Jewish  field,  especially  in  our  large  child-caring  institutions, 
where  much  of  the  progress  has  been  due  to  the  efficiency  and 
resourcefulness  of  the  professional  worker;  in  our  educational  in- 
stitutions; in  settlements,  and,  finally,  in  relief  work,  where,  I 
believe,  the  professional  impress  has  been  slowest  to  make  its  mark, 
probably  because  this  is  the  most  difficult  field  in  which  to  make 
experiments  and  carry  them  through  successfully. 

One  of  his  most  important  functions  is  to  educate  his  board  up 
to  present  standards.  This  is  said  in  no  boastful  sense,  but  as  a 
logical  outcome  of  his  position,  his  training,  and  his  opportunities. 
The  average  director  cannot  keep  pace  with  the  ever-changing 
aspects  of  special  work.  If  he  reads  an  article  now  and  then  to 
keep  informed  in  a  general  way  on  the  social  subject  in  which  he 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OB'   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  283 

is  interested,  he  is  pretty  sure  to  get  a  distorted  idea  of  its 
applicability  to  his  own  institution,  unless  his  opinion  is  toned  down 
by  the  professional  worker  to  suit  the  particular  case.  For  instance, 
settlement  work  among  Jews  is  not  what  it  is  among  non-Jews. 
Some  of  its  ideas  have  universal  validity,  others  must  be  adapted 
before  we  can  adopt  them,  or  abandoned  altogether.  Friendly 
visiting  among  us  is  quite  a  different  thing  from  what  it  is  among 
our  non-Jewish  neighbors.  A  director,  who  happens  to  read  up  on 
these  subjects,  may  get  on  the  wrong  track  altogether,  if  there  is 
not  at  hand  a  man  who  understands  the  principles  of  settlement 
work  and  friendly  visiting,  and  who  knows  also  what  would  be  the 
result  of  applying  those  principles  unchanged  to  a  Jewish  com- 
munity. I  maintain  that  it  takes  a  professional  or  trained  worker 
even  to  tell  whether  an  association  is  doing  useful  or  harmful  work. 

But  it  is  to  the  training  of  the  completely  uninformed  director 
that  the  trained  worker  is  of  greatest  assistance.  By  an  enlight- 
ening presentation  of  actual  conditions  and  a  convincing  demon- 
stration of  a  plan  to  meet  them  he  may  train  a  director  to  see  things 
from  the  social  point  of  view;  he  may  wean  him  from  the  applica- 
tion of  business  principles  to  every  human  activity.  For  just  as 
the  lawyer  regards  the  problems  of  his  profession  from  the  legal 
point  of  view,  and  the  doctor  his  from  the  medical  point  of  view, 
so  the  professional  social  worker  contemplates  his  field  in  its  social 
aspect,  and  it  is  only  in  this  attitude  that  he  can  correctly  grasp  the 
particular  end  it  is  his  duty  to  achieve.  Every  director  brought  to 
view  the  social  world  through  this  vista  becomes  a  new  social  force 
in  the  community,  attains  to  a  deeper  conception  of  our  complex  life, 
increases  his  value  to  the  organization  he  manages  and  to  the  city 
in  which  he  lives,  and  adds  one  more  man  to  that  growing  number 
of  social  students  who  are  bound  in  time  to  affect  profoundly  our 
whole  commercial  and  civic  life. 

The  opportunity  thus  presented  to  the  social  worker  is  of  great 
significance  and  of  unlimited  usefulness.  That  he  has  his  troubles 
now,  no  one  will  deny.  Very  often  his  board,  instead  of  meekly 
taking  instructions,  are  bent  on  giving  some  themselves,  and  will 
see  them  carried  out  or  know  the  reason  why.  Then,  the  com- 
munity has  not  entirely  freed  itself  from  the  feeling  that  a  man 


284  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

who  will  devote  himself  to  the  administration  of  charity  cannot  be 
much  better  than  those  who  receive  it,  and  they  have  a  mild  pity 
for  whoever  take  up  this  line  of  endeavor.  The  Jewish  social  worker 
generally  has  little  social  standing.  In  this  respect  we  do  not  fol- 
low the  custom  of  the  goyim,  among  whom  the  profession  of  the 
social  worker  is  as  highly  regarded  as  any  other.  We  need  only 
look  at  the  National  Conference  of  Charities  and  Corrections, 
which  will  gather  here  in  a  few  days,  to  see  the  position  that  has 
been  reached  by  the  professional  social  worker,  to  understand  to 
what  dignity  that  profession  has  attained,  and  to  see,  also,  how 
far  Jewish  social  workers  have  to  travel  before  the  same  dignity 
shall  be  theirs.  The  non-Jewish  workers  have  obtained  their  posi- 
tion by  brilliant  achievement  in  constructive  philanthropy,  by  a 
leadership  at  once  intelligent,  enlightened  and  effective,  and  their 
contribution  to  modern  social  ideas  and  expedients  is  universally 
acknowledged.  The  Jewish  social  worker  can  at  least  hope  to 
share  in  this  program  of  useful  progress,  if  it  be  too  much  to 
expect  him  to  make  a  like  contribution  to  theoretical  and  practical 
charity  administration. 

The  Jewish  professional  social  worker  has  before  him  now  an 
ever-widening  sphere  of  usefulness.  The  problems  of  Jewish  child- 
caring  are  of  the  greatest  importance,  and  they  call  for  the  skilled 
specialist,  of  the  highest  professional  type.  The  dignity  and 
salary  of  the  office  are  enough  to  draw  into  service  men  of  con- 
spicuous ability,  and  the  future  presents  a  career  in  this  calling 
that  no  one  can  afford  to  despise.  In  settlement  or  social  work 
proper  the  ground  has  not  even  been  broken.  One  or  two  institu- 
tions have  developed  activities  which  have  attracted  the  attention 
of  the  general  public,  but  the  whole  question  is  open,  awaiting 
the  coming  of  the  man  with  insight,  imagination  and  constructive 
ability.  Honor  and  emolument  are  ready  for  him,  and  there  is 
no  other  profession  which  offers  so  ready  recognition  as  awaits 
the  competent  Jewish  social  worker.  Of  Jewish  hospitals  and 
homes,  nothing  shall  be  said,  for  I  do  not  think  they  present  any 
conspicuous  phenomena,  though  they  offer  work  in  abundance, 
require  skill  and  return  the  satisfaction  that  one  expects  from  the 
practice  of  an  honorable  profession.  In  relief  work  we  are  ready 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  Z»5 

for  decided  progress,  for  the  involved  problems  of  dependence,  with 
all  their  ramifications,  from  giving  doles  to  training  refractory 
children  to  become  wage-earners  and  home  supporters,  present  a 
fascinating  study  for  the  trained  mind,  and  put  one  into  active 
touch  with  those  forces  which,  we  are  prone  to  think,  are  making 
for  a  better  and  a  higher  humanity.  At  the  present  moment  the 
call  for  the  worker  exceeds  the  number  who  are  ready  to  respond, 
and  here  at  last  we  have  found  one  modern  profession  which  is 
not  overcrowded. 

Perhaps  the  largest  problem  of  organization  that  confronts  the 
Jewish  social  worker  today  is  the  harmonizing  of  the  older  chari- 
ties with  those  of  a  later  immigration.  The  difficulties  in  the  way 
I  would  not  minimize.  They  represent  two  different  states  of 
culture  and  experience,  and  the  rule  in  this  matter  is,  that  an 
organization  prefers  to  learn  by  its  own  mistakes  rather  than 
profit  by  the  mistakes  of  others.  However,  a  modus  vivendi  can 
be  and  must  be  worked  out.  We  must  not  only  harmonize  our 
charities,  but  must  weld  them  into  a  strong  and  consistent  whole, 
so  that  they  become  an  instrument  of  real  power.  To  accomplish 
this  end  we  need  qualities  of  intellect,  reinforced  by  training  and 
experience,  quite  in  as  high  a  degree  as  is  needed  for  the  solution 
of  any  other  of  our  problems.  Among  no  other  people,  I  believe,  is 
there  a  similar  situation.  With  all  our  solidarity,  we  are  divided, 
and  divided  on  a  subject  upon  which  at  heart  we  are,  so  to  speak, 
all  of  one  mind.  Let  the  professional  social  worker  look  to  this 
as  the  one  great  achievement  that  lies  directly  before  him. 

When  our  communities  shall  have  become  compact  and  har- 
monious wholes,  the  next  step  is  to  marshall  this  force  in  behalf 
of  all  movements  making  for  the  common  good.  There  is  no 
activity  of  general  benefit  that  does  not  need  the  help  the  Jews 
can  give  it,  and  which  cannot  be  helped  by  our  organized  effort. 
Whether  it  is  the  movement  for  better  housing  conditions,  for  better 
infant  feeding,  for  larger  playgrounds,  for  the  prevention  of 
tuberculosis,  for  an  efficient  probation  system,  even  for  the  more 
intelligent  treatment  of  prisoners  and  delinquents,  the  Jews  are  all 
interested,  and  can  be  of  great  public  service.  I  cannot  do  better 
in  trying  to  give  the  scope  of  the  effort  of  the  social  worker 


286  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

than  by  quoting  this  comprehensive  statement  of  the  Survey:  and 
big  as  these  things  look  they  are  not  beyond  the  concern  of  and 
assistance  from  an  organized  and  harmonized  Jewry.  He  ^should 
serve : 

a.  As  interpreter  of  inter-related  social  movements — the  pre- 
vention  of   tuberculosis,    charity   organizations,    housing   reform, 
civic  improvements,  etc. 

b.  As  interpreter  of  civic  and  social  advances  in  every  part  of 
the  country  to  every  other  part. 

c.  As  interpreter  of  different  groups  in  society  to  each  other. 

d.  As  interpreter  of  the  social  work  of  the  several  professions 
to  each  other. 

e.  As  interpreter  of  social  invention  in  industry. 

f.  As  interpreter  of  movements  for  the  betterment  of  industrial 
relations  and  conditions. 

g.  As  interpreter  of  social  research. 

h.  As  interpreter  and  advocate  of  reform  and  social  advance, 
where  none  other  exists. 

i.  As  quick  investigator  and  interpreter  of  the  facts  of  living 
conditions  while  they  are  in  process  rather  than  after  they  have 
happened. 

We  have  not  taken  the  rank  in  preventive  charity  that  we  have 
attained  in  relief  work,  and  this  condition  is  due  as  much  to  the 
fact  that  the  Jewish  professional  worker  has  been  late  coming  on 
the  scene  and  in  being  given  the  responsibility  which  should 
devolve  on  him,  as  it  is  to  the  historical  reason  that  relief  work 
is  the  classic  form  of  Jewish  help,  and  has  come  to  us  in  noble 
tradition. 

Though  the  number  of  Jewish  professional  workers  is  still  small, 
we  can  be  assured  that  it  will  increase  rapidly,  for  the  genius  of 
the  Jew  inclines  to  professional  callings.  Efficient  schools  of 
philanthropy,  in  the  organization  of  which  Jews  have  had  some 
but  a  minor  and  inadequate  part,  exist  in  a  number  of  educational 
centers,  and  will  increase  rapidly;  and  no  school  need  fear  that 
it  will  not  have  its  quota  of  Jewish  students.  Besides,  boards  and 
their  supporters  are  rapidly  coming  to  the  point  where  they  will 
accept  only  the  worker  who  has  adopted  social  service  as  a  pro- 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  287 

fession  and  has  trained  in  the  work,  for  even  minor  positions;  and 
they  have  reconciled  themselves  to  the  necessity  for  offering  ade- 
quate wages  to  intelligent  men  and  women  who  have  by  study 
and  practic  rendered  themselves  qualified  to  take  charge  of  their 
institutions.  Social  work,  as  a  profession,  therefore,  presents  a 
wide  scope  for  the  abilities  of  strong  and  well-equipped  men  and 
women,  with  a  possibility  of  large  public  achievement,  which  will 
bring  power,  influence  and  renown,  and  also  such  a  return  of  a 
monetary  nature  as  will  satisfy  the  person  not  bitten  by  the  com- 
mercial spirit.  This  is  as  true  of  the  Jewish  as  of  the  non- Jewish 
worker,  and  our  young  men  and  women,  who  crowd  the  legal, 
medical,  rabbinical  and  educational  schools,  might  pause  a  moment 
to  think  of  another  profession,  just  as  useful  and  honorable, 
namely,  that  of  social  worker. 

CHAIRMAN  WIENER:  The  formal  discussion  will  be  opened  by 
Kabbi  Sidney  Goldstein,  of  New  York. 

DISCUSSION. 

By  KABBI  SIDNEY  E.  GOLDSTEIN, 
Social  Service  Department,  Free  Synagogue, 

NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 

I  share  your  appreciaton  of  the  paper  just  read  to  us  by  our 
secretary.  There  are,  however,  some  comments  that  may  be  made 
without  fear  of  offense — comments  in  the  nature  of  correction  and 
supplement,  rather  than  in  the  spirit  of  unkind  criticism. 

Mr.  Levin,  as  I  understand  his  paper,  devotes  himself  to  and 
develops  three  points:  First,  the  evolution  of  the  professional 
social  worker  out  of  the  unpaid  or  underpaid  secretary;  second, 
the  qualities  and  qualifications  of  a  professional  social  worker; 
third,  the  opportunities  that  lie  in  the  hands  of  a  professional 
social  worker  as  an  educational  influence  in  his  board  and  in  the 
community.  To  these  three  points  is  added  a  postscript,  lamenting, 
in  the  language  of  the  prophet,  the  lack  of  honor  accorded  the 
Jewish  social  worker  among  his  own  people.  Nowhere  is  the 
author  in  doubt  that  there  does  exist  such  a  thing  as  the  profession 


288  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

of  which  he  speaks.  The  entire  paper,  in  fact,  is  based  and  built 
upon  the  assumpton  that  there  is  in  fullness  and  completeness  the 
profession  of  social  service. 

This  assumption  is,  I  believe,  at  least  debatable.  When  we  con- 
sider the  recognized  professions:  The  profession  of  law,  of  medi- 
cine, of  the  ministry,  we  discover  that  they  present  two  main 
features:  One  a  large,  well-defined  body  of  knowledge,  and  the 
other  a  well-worked-out  group  of  principles.  In  law  there 
are  the  codes  and  the  principles  of  jurisprudence.  These  the  lawyer 
must  learn.  In  medicine  there  is  anatomy,  physiology,  pathology, 
and  their  branches,  and  also  the  principles  of  materia  medica. 
These  the  physician  must  know.  In  the  ministry  there  is  the  his- 
tory of  religion  and  the  principles  of  theology.  These  the  minister 
must  master.  Is  there  a  corresponding  body  of  knowledge,  or  a 
similar  group  of  principles  that  may  be  credited  to  social  service? 
If  such  a  body  of  knowledge  does  exist  it  has  not  been  disengaged 
or  segregated  from  the  general  mass  of  information.  If  such  a 
group  of  principles  be  in  our  possession  they  have  not  been  defined 
or  formulated.  There  is  not  even  what  we  may  reasonably  and 
truthfully  call  a  literature  of  social  service.  There  are  many 
monographs  on  a  large  variety  of  subjects,  social  and  pseudo- 
social;  there  are  an  unlimited  number  of  medleys  on  things  more 
or  less  vitally  associated  with  social  problems ;  but  when  these  works 
are  placed  alongside  the  libraries  in  law  and  medicine,  the  best 
that  can  be  said  of  them  is  that  they  aspire,  and  thus  far  fail. 
The  same  thing  is  true  of  the  schools  in  which  we  have  been  trained 
— that  is,  those  of  us  who  have  had  the  advantage  of  any  systematic 
training  at  all.  The  longest  course  offered  by  any  school  is  eight 
months.  There  are  summer  courses  covering  six  weeks.  There 
are  evening  courses  extending  over  thirty  weeks,  with  a  two  hours' 
session  twice  each  week.  I  am  patiently  waiting  (somewhat  in 
dread,  I  confess)  for  the  magazine  announcement:  How  to  learn 
social  service  in  sixty  lessons.  How  do  these  courses  compare  with 
the  curriculum  and  the  time  demanded  by  the  State  of  the  lawyer 
and  the  physician? 

It  is  too  early,  I  am  convinced,  to  expect  a  solid  literature;  a 
firm,  organic  body  of  knowledge;  or  a  safe  and  sustaining  set  of 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  289 

principles.  The  oldest  school  of  philanthropy  is  still  in  its  child- 
hood. The  first  professor  of  social  economy  was  appointed  only 
five  years  ago.  It  is  premature  to  assume  the  honor  and  dignified 
title  of  a  profession.  If  we  are  not  members  of  a  profession,  then 
what  are  we?  This  is  an  embarrassing  question,  but  one  that  we 
must  answer  in  all  sincerity  if  we  are  to  understand  ourselves  and 
our  work.  At  the  best  we  are  students  and  experimentalists  and 
empiricists.  At  the  worst — perhaps  it  is  better  not  to  say.  In  a 
section  of  social  workers,  when  the  boards  of  most  are  absent, 
we  ought  to  be  candid  enough  to  confess  our  weaknesses.  The 
fewest  of  us  are  prepared  and  equipped  for  positions  to  which 
we  pilgrimage,  and  the  pathetic  fact  is  that  some  of  us  do  not  seem 
to  appreciate  this  fact.  We  approach  our  problems  in  the  un- 
mitigated assurance  of  inexperience  and  inexpertness.  In  a  few 
months  a  change  takes  place.  We  begin  to  see  ourselves  and  our 
problems  in  proper  proportions.  The  problems  begin  to  expand 
and  we  begin  to  contract.  This  is  a  discouraging  process  to  witness 
and  to  suffer;  but  it  happens  and  is  is  wholesome.  Later  we 
gradually  learn  to  adjust  ourselves  to  these  new  conceptions.  And 
then  we  address  ourselves  to  the  study  and  to  the  solution,  not  of 
the  problems,  but  of  the  questions  that  press  most  urgently  and 
most  imperatively  upon  our  attention. 

Here  appears  another  weakness :  Unconsciously,  in  some  instances 
consciously,  and  against  our  wills,  we  become  specialists.  One  man 
lives  inside  of  a  settlement;  another  man  lives  inside  of  an 
orphan  asylum;  another  lives  inside  a  relief  agency,  and, 
you  will  forgive  me  when  I  say,  that  it  not  infrequently 
occurs  that  we  grow  so  occupied  with  what  takes  place 
within  the  walls  that  surround  us  that  we  soon  lose  our 
sense  of  perspective  and  fail  to  see  the  proper  relation  that 
we  and  our  institutions  bear  to  the  social  whole.  In  hospital  work, 
in  which  field  I  served  for  over  two  years,  and  with  which  I  am 
most  closely  acquainted,  I  know  that  men  and  women  are  bounded 
in  their  vision  by  the  buildings  in  which  they  live  and  move  and 
have  their  being.  The  hospital  to  them  is  a  place  to  which  the 
sick  are  brought  and  in  which  the  sick  are  treated,  and  also 
utilized  as  clinical  material.  The  thought  that  the  hospital  is  a 


290  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

social  institution,  and  that  as  such  it  has  a  social  function  to  per- 
form does  not  interest  or  disturb  them.  They  fail  to  see  that  there 
is  something  more  to  a  sick  man  than  his  sickness.  They  neglect 
to  consider  that  sickness  is  a  symptom  of  morbid  social  conditions, 
or  perhaps  a  danger  signal  of  coming  social  distress,  which  social 
care  could  prevent.  The  fact  that  the  man,  stretched  in  pain  upon 
the  bed,  may  be  a  father ;  or  the  woman,  moaning  in  delirium  upon 
a  cot,  may  be  a  mother;  or  the  tiny,  panting,  feverish  babe  in  the 
crib,  the  precious  life-blood  of  parents — these  facts  are  not  their 
concern. 

In  a  lesser  degree,  I  am  convinced  from  my  conversations  with 
social  workers,  we  are  all  guilty  of  social  myopia — contracted  or 
constricted  social  vision.,  We  are  specialists,  but  specialists  without 
the  advantage  of  having  been  previously  and  wisely  general  prac- 
titioners. This  is  evidenced  by  what  might  be  called  the  referring 
habit  in  social  work.  When  a  case  applies  to  us  for  treatment, 
in  which  there  appears  to  be  an  element  alien  to  the  particular 
character  of  work  in  which  we  are  engaged,  at  once  we  call  the 
stenographer  or  take  up  the  telephone :  "I  beg  to  refer  to  you  Mrs. 
'So  and  So/  whose  case  comes  within  the  jurisdiction  of  your 
institution";  which  is  another  way  of  saying,  "I  think  I  do  not 
understand  this  case,  will  you  please  treat  it  for  me?"  We  are 
like  the  German  surgeon,  to  whom  a  man  went  and  said:  "Pro- 
fessor, I  have  cut  my  index  finger."  "So,"  said  the  professor, 
"index  finger;  well,  you  must  go  to  Professor  Dactylogissmuss,  in 
the  next  block;  I  am  a  specialist  for  the  middle  finger  only." 
More  than  one  of  our  so-called  social  institutions  and  the  so-called 
social  workers  will  have  to  be  resocialized. 

This  resocialization  will  come  with  the  coming  profession  of 
social  service.  At  present  the  utmost  that  we  may  allow  is  that  our 
profession  is  in  the  process  of  formation.  It  is  possible  to  foresee 
that  our  body  of  knowledge  will  concern  itself  with  the  structure 
of  society,  with  the  functioning  of  the  different  organs,  with  the 
diseases  to  which  the  different  parts  are  liable.  Our  group  of  prin- 
ciples will  consist  of  the  simple  ethical  laws,  expressed  and  ad- 
ministered in  the  form  of  social  remedies.  When  we  have  possessed 
ourselves  of  this  body  of  knowledge,  when  this  group  of  principles 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  291 

will  have  possessed  us,  we  shall  win  and  hold  our  professional 
position;  and  there  will  be  no  more  lamentations  written  on  the 
theme  of  honor  withheld  or  meanly  given.  Personally,  I  have 
no  patience  with  this  oft-uttered  complaint  and  wail.  I  am 
positive  that,  if  we  were  as  poorly  prepared  as  physicians  and 
lawyers  as  some  of  us  are  equipped  as  social  workers,  we  should 
receive  and  we  should  merit  not  more  honor,  but  less;  and,  in 
addition  to  this,  we  should  not  be  permitted  to  practice  by  the 
State.  I  make  this  statement  because  I  love  the  profession  which 
is  coming  to  be;  because  I  am  jealous  of  the  honor  and  the  dignity 
of  the  guild  to  which  we  trust  in  time  to  be  admitted  as  members. 
And  the  members,  I  submit,  will  be  something  more  than  dis- 
bursing agents;  something  more  than  systematizers  of  methods; 
something  more  than  organizers  of  agencies  and  institutions.  The 
social  worker  will  consider  as  his  prime  purpose  and  duty  the 
creation,  the  strengthening,  the  broadening  of  the  social  conscience, 
because  he  will  realize  that  in  this  alone  lies  the  ultimate  solution 
of  our  social  problems.  He  will  show  how  useless  it  is  to  build 
sanitoria  so  long  as  the  conscience  of  the  community  permits  the 
sweatshop  and  the  tenement;  he  will  teach  us  how  futile  it  is  to 
contribute  to  relief  agencies  so  long  as  we  regard  the  bargain 
counter  as  a  jest  and  not  as  an  indictment;  he  will  reveal  to  our 
eyes  the  blood  of  our  brothers  splashed  upon  the  very  clothing 
that  we  wear;  he  will  open  our  ears  to  the  agonized  cries  of  our 
sisters  that  come  from  the  very  ornaments  with  which  we  decorate 
ourselves;  he  will  be  moved  and  inspired  by  a  social  passion  be- 
cause he  loves  men,  loves  them  intensely,  profoundly,  tenderly,  as 
his  own. 

DISCUSSION— (Continued). 

By  PHILIP  L.  SEAMAN, 
Superintendent  of  Jewish  Educational  Alliance, 

ST.  LOUIS,  MO. 

I  am  placed  here  in  a  rather  peculiar  position  at  the  end  of  this 
three-yard  program;  at  the  time  it  came  to  me  I  was  rather  sur- 
prised that  it  was  not  five  yards  long,  for  had  it  been  so  I  might 
have  been  placed  at  the  end  of  that. 

The  two  papers  read  on  the  question  of  social  service  were  some- 
what kin  to  each  other.  I  tried  to  listen  carefully  to  Mr.  Levin's 


292  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

paper,  and  took  such  points  for  the  discussion  as  seemed  to  me  to 
warrant  the  placing  of  social  service  work  in  line  with  other  pro- 
fessions. 

Social  service  is  as  much  a  profession  as  is  the  study  of  law,  or 
the  study  of  medicine,  or  that  of  engineering.  It  is  very  unfair,  to 
my  mind,  to  think  even  for  a  moment,  that  after  the  many  thou- 
sands of  years  of  development  of  the  human  race  and  of  human 
energy,  after  these  many  thousands  of  years  of  struggle,  that  men 
of  today,  who  have  given  most  of  their  lives  to  social  service  as 
those  who  are  represented  in  this  Conference  have,  should  be  re- 
sponsible for  saying  that  social  service  has  as  yet  not  developed 
into  a  profession.  Such  gross  inconsistency  and  injustice  is  hardly 
excusable.  From  a  layman  who  does  not  understand  the  senti- 
ments of  social  service  and  does  not  feel  its  human  importance 
such  sentiments  might  not  be  surprising. 

A  hundred  years  ago,  a  French  thinker  recognized  social  science 
as  one  of  the  most  important  sciences  in  the  hierarchy  of  the 
sciences.  He  places  the  social  sciences  as  a  development  of  the 
fundamental  sciences;  namely,  astronomy,  physics,  chemistry, 
biology,  etc.,  showing  that  after  all  these  pure  sciences  comes  the 
social  science  as  a  natural  outgrowth.  Up  to  that  time  no  one 
had  ever  schemed  the  social  science.  That  the  phenomena  of 
society  of  men  aggregated  in  masses  were  governed  by  laws  as 
absolute  and  rigorous  as  those  governing  cosmical  phenomena  was 
barely  suspected,  and  nothing  had  been  done  toward  their 
systematic  co-ordination.  Comte  did  not  flatter  himself  that  he 
would  be  able  at  once  to  raise  this  complimentary  branch  of  positive 
philosophy  to  the  level  of  the  preliminary  sciences. 

George  Henry  Lewis,  in  his  excellent  exposition,  "The 
Philosophy  of  the  Sciences,"  tells  us  that  Comte's  wishes  were 
only  to  set  forth  the  actual  possibility  of  constructing  and  cultivat- 
ing social  science  in  the  same  manner  as  positive  sciences  were 
cultivated  and  constructed.  He  defined  the  real  philosophical 
character  of  the  sciences  and  established  its  principle  basis.  His 
three  reigning  doctrines,  the  theological,  the  metaphysical  and  the 
scientific,  in  which  he  shows  the  natural  development  and  evolution 
of  all  mind  and  matter,  he  utilizes  very  ostensibly  in  the  social 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  293 

sciences.  So  high  an  appreciation  had  Comte  for  the  social  sciences 
that  he  places  them  at  the  end  of  his  hierarchal  scheme.  The 
placing  of  this  science  last  properly  puts  it  first  as  far  as  human 
importance  is  concerned. 

The  reason  that  I  call  your  attention  to  this  fact  especially  is 
because  of  the  attitude,  conscious  or  unconscious  as  it  my  be,  that 
the  writer  of  this  afternoon's  paper  seems  to  have  on  the  general 
subject  of  social  work.  Social  work  does  by  no  means  center  itself 
around  the  relief  office  only,  as  we  seem  to  gather  from  the  care- 
fully arranged  historical  sketch  given  to  us  this  afternoon  by  Mr. 
Levin.  We  have  today  the  larger  conception  of  social  work,  and 
the  social  worker  who  has  made  the  work  a  profession  realizes,  and 
if  he  does  not  realize  should,  that  much  more  attention  must  be 
paid  to  the  so-called  details  of  this  new  science,  in  order  to  be 
able  to  cope  with  the  situations  presented  in  the  various  forms  of 
social  endeavor. 

It  seems  almost  impossible  to  believe  that  men  of  thought  and 
experience,  men  of  great  learning  and  keen  observation,  will  make 
a  life-study  of  the  habits,  the  characters,  the  form  of  development, 
the  nature  and  the  history  of  birds,  fish,  animals,  etc.  That  thou- 
sands, yes,  I  might  almost  say  millions,  of  dollars  are  spent  con- 
stantly on  excavations  and  expeditions,  so  that  another  page  might 
be  added  to  the  already  voluminous  history  of  ancient  times.  It 
seems  to  me  almost  illogical  that  universities  and  students  will 
spend  money  and  a  lifetime  in  order  to  find  another  ruin;  feel 
perfectly  delighted  with  the  discovery  of  a  piece  of  pottery,  a  stone, 
a  bone  of  a  peculiar  shape  and  form,  and  fill  the  scientific  maga- 
zines of  today  with  theories  and  suppositions  as  to  what  these 
findngs  may  theoretically  mean.  These  very  same  universities  and 
professors  consider  it  entirely  out  of  place  and  unimportant  to 
pay  the  same  time  and  attention  to  the  habits  and  environments, 
social  and  economic  conditions,  which  so  change  the  real  life  of 
the  present-day  man.  They  will  listen  for  days  to  the  sound  of  a 
bird  in  order  to  be  able  to  classify  it  for  the  benefit  of  the  student 
of  this  science.  I  wonder  why  the  crying  of  the  babe,  left  destitute 
by  the  cruel  and  untimely  death  of  its  parent,  does  not  elicit  equal 
attention  from  this  scientist. 


294  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE    SIXTH 

At  last,  however,  sociology  has  fought  its  way  and  has  placed 
itself  on  an  important  pedestal  receiving  rigorous  attention  and 
more  careful  study,  thus  giving  an  opportunity  at  least  to  hope  of 
the  better  day  when  man,  the  highest  form  of  all  living  beings, 
will  be  recognized  as  an  important  factor  in  the  development  and 
the  history  of  mankind. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  there  seems  to  me  to  be  another  thought 
that  has  not  sufficiently  been  spoken  of.  It  seems  that,  at  present, 
men  in  all  professions,  carefully  study  the  causes,  and,  after  ascer- 
taining them,  work  along  constructive  lines  with  a  view  of  doing 
away  with  these  causes  and  eliminating  the  necessity  for  their 
professional  service. 

At  the  graduation  exercises  of  one  of  the  large  institutions  in 
this  country,  the  president  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  in 
an  address,  said  very  truthfully  that  the  mission  of  the  scientific 
medical  men  is  to  do  away  with  the  necessity  of  a  doctor  by  finding 
out  the  causes  of  preventable  disease  and  through  education  and 
legislation  eliminate  them.  This  same  fact,  it  seems  to  me,  should 
be  true  with  reference  to  all  professions  whose  necessity  depends 
upon  the  existence  of  purely  preventable  measures,  be  they  in 
medicine,  in  law  or  in  social  service.  The  social  worker,  whose 
work  and  necessity  for  its  performance  peculiarly  depends  upon  the 
existence  of  measures  that  are  absolutely  preventable,  should,  above 
all,  if  he  is  at  all  inclined  to  be  scientific,  base  his  entire  efforts 
upon  the  elimination  and  extermination  of  the  existence  of  the 
causes  that  bring  about  his  profession  a  necessity  at  the  present 
time.  In  other  words,  the  physician,  the  lawyer,  the  minister  and 
the  social  worker,  should  make  the  necessity  for  their  existence  as 
such  workers  absolutely  unnecessary.  We  social  workers  should 
be  first  to  recognize  these  truths,  and  I  feel  that  we  recognize  them ; 
and  I  feel  that  our  profession  has  recognized  them  more  so  than 
any  of  the  other  professions. 

The  time  is  coming,  and  coming  soon,  when  mankind  will  realize 
that  there  is  a  duty  that  each  man  has  to  perform  to  his  neighbor; 
that  all  men  will  look  upon  each  other  as  brothers,  when  we  will 
cease  to  see  differences  of  class,  of  kind,  of  color,  where  each  one 
will  be  a  social  worker,  and  when  all  men  will  say  not,  "Am  I  My 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF    JEWISH    CHARITIES.  295 

Brother's  Keeper?"  but  "I  Am  My  Brother's  Keeper."  We  are 
gradually  reaching  that  happy  millennium.  You  heard  this  after- 
noon, for  instance,  of  a  move  in  the  right  direction,  about  the  newer 
ideas  of  the  child-caring  problems,  recommendations  for  the  aboli- 
tion of  organized  barrack  pavilions  and  even  cottage  systems  for 
the  care  of  children.  We  are  also  told  that  in  the  city  of  Chicago 
there  is  a  movement  on  foot,  even  more  radical  than  this,  to  abolish 
the  necessity  of  the  day  nursery.  The  logic  of  all  this  has  come 
about  by  a  truth  which  presented  itself,  namely,  that  it  is  very 
inhuman  to  take  children  away  from  their  mother,  place  them  in 
institutions  that  cost  on  the  average  of  $2.50  a  week  per  capita 
to  maintain,  in  order  to  allow  the  mother  to  go  to  work  and  earn 
$4.00  to  $5.00  a  week.  We  are  beginning  in  every  way  to  realize 
that  the  unfortunate  have  a  right  to  live,  yes,  and  a  right  to  live 
decently.  We  are  also  beginning  to  realize  that  there  is  a  reason 
for  the  maladjustment  in  our  society,  that  tells  a  man  to  live  and 
look  after  a  family  on  earnings  that  average  $9.00  a  week.  We  are 
beginning  to  realize,  all  of  us,  that  there  is  something  radically 
wrong  somewhere,  and  social  workers  in  particular,  who  are  thrown 
constantly  with  these  truths,  begin  not  to  be  afraid  to  expose  and 
talk  of  them  in  a  more  natural  and  honest  way. 

Let  me  tell  you  something  that  I  heard  only  a  few  days  ago, 
which  seems  characteristic  of  this  very  thing  that  I  am  speaking 
about.  Mr.  Alexander  Johnson,  Secretary  of  the  National  Con- 
ference of  Charities  and  Correction,  told  me  the  following  story: 
In  a  large  institution  in  New  York  there  was  an  opening  for  the 
position  of  superintendent.  A  young  man  applied  for  this  posi- 
tion, and  from  all  recommendations  and  investigations  it  was 
found  that  the  young  man  was  the  desirable  candidate  for  the 
position.  He  was  told  by  the  board  of  directors  that  they  are  de- 
sirous of  his  accepting  the  position  in  question.  The  young  man 
before  accepting,  however,  said  to  the  board  of  directors  at  their 
meeting:  "Gentlemen,  I  feel  it  my  duty,  before  I  accept  your 
proposition,  to  tell  you  just  exactly  how  I  feel  from  a  political 
point  of  view.  The  work  you  want  me  to  take  up  for  you  is  that 
of  social  service.  I  therefore  want  you  to  know  that  I  am  a  Social- 
ist pure  and  simple;  I  am  not  a  theoretical  Socialist,  I  am  a  prac- 


296 

tical  one;  I  belong  to  the  Socialist  Labor  Party;  furthermore,  I 
voted  the  Socialist  ticket  at  the  last  election;  and  now  knowing 
these  facts,  if  you  desire  my  services  under  these  conditions,  I  will 
be  happy  to  undertake  this  work."  When  the  young  man  finished 
his  sentence  he  was  surely  under  the  impression  that  the  transac- 
tion with  reference  to  this  position  will  be  closed,  but  not  in  his 
favor ;  when  the  president  of  the  institution  rose,  shaking  the  young 
man's  hand,  said:  "Young  man,  I,  too,  voted  the  Socialist  ticket. 
I  wish  you  Godspeed  in  your  new  position." 

MR.  S.  B.  KAUFMAN,  Indianapolis:  Permit  me  to  quote  two 
of  the  reflections  that  have  been  written  about  this  Conference. 

The  first  is :  "Self-preservation  is  the  first  law  of  nature."  This 
applies  to  the  social  worker.  They  give  every  day  new  remedies, 
but  the  same  old  troubles  remain.  Another  is :  "Love  they  neighbor 
as  thyself." 

We  have  never  come  here  but  what  we  are  bound  to  differ.  A 
lawyer  must  study  law  and  a  doctor  must  study  medicine,  a 
preacher  or  rabbi  must  study  the  bible  and  theology.  But,  at  the 
same  time,  a  lawyer,  to  be  a  good  lawyer,  must  be  a  medical  and 
a  rabbinical  student.  Just  the  same,  the  social  worker  must  be 
a  student  of  not  the  study  of  sociology  alone,  but  he  must  be  a 
student  of  social  knowledge.  For  that  reason,  a  social  worker  may 
not  be  a  professionl,  but  the  social  worker  must  be  a  student. 

I  will  ask  one  question:  Will  the  social  worker  come  and  tell 
the  board  of  directors,  if  they  happen  to  be  millionaires,  "Pay 
your  men  good  salaries ;  I  am  a  social  worker,  you  employ  hundreds 
of  men ;  give  your  men  good  salaries  ?"  Will  the  social  worker  do 
that? 

The  time  will  come  when  the  social  worker  will  be  a  simple 
reformer.  That  is  his  duty.  Charity  itself  is  an  evil.  They  are 
all  coming  together,  and  they  are  discussing  it  in  other  cities,  but 
we  are  accomplishing  nothing.  We  still  have  suffering.  In  order 
to  become  a  good  social  worker  you  must  become  a  social  reformer 
and  be  interested  about  it. 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE   OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  297 

BUSINESS  MEETING. 

SECRETARY  WALDMAN:  We  will  now  have  the  report  of  the 
Committee  on  Nominations. 

The  following  nominations  were  then  presented  by  Dr.  Bogen, 
Chairman  of  the  Committee : 

President,  Dr.  David  Blaustein,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Secretary,  Garfield  A.  Berlinsky,  Louisville,  Ky. 

Treasurer,  Max  Mitchell,  Boston,  Mass. 

Directors,  Chester  Teller,  New  Orleans,  La.;  Cecil  B.  Wiener, 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.;  Ernestine  Heller,  Chicago,  111.;  J.  W.  Pincus, 
New  York,  N.  Y. 

It  was  duly  moved  and  seconded  that  the  report  of  the  Com- 
mittee be  accepted. 

Motion  put  and  carried. 

CHAIRMAN  WIENER:  The  Keverend  Doctor  Mendel  Silber  will 
close  the  Conference  with  prayer. 

PRAYER. 

EEV.  DR.  MENDEL  SILBER,  St.  Louis:  Our  Father  in  Heaven. 
In  Thy  name  we  have  gathered  to  deliberate  on  a  work  that  is 
pleasing  in  Thy  sight.  May  the  labors  we  have  resolved  to  do 
receive  Thy  sanctifying  spirit,  so  that  Thy  name  be  glorified  by 
our  endeavors  and  Thy  children  be  benefited  by  our  efforts.  Grant, 
we  beseech  Thee,  that  the  inspiration  we  have  gotten  from  the 
contact  with  those  who  are  engaged  in  pursuits  of  sweet  charity 
be  not  effaced  by  the  pressing  cares  of  our  busy  lives,  but  remain 
ever  present  before  our  minds  to  increase  constantly  and  con- 
tinuously our  capacity  for  benevolence,  love  and  fellowship.  Amen ! 


298  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 

REPORT  OF  TREASURER. 

RECEIPTS  SINCE  MAY  1,  1908. 
1908. 

May        1.     Balance  as  per  report $  1,847.22 

May        2.     United  Hebrew  Charity  Association,  Lan- 
caster,  Pa 5.00 

United  Hebrew  Charities,  Baltimore 9.00 

United  Jewish  Charities,  Kansas  City,  Mo.  5.00 

Ladies'  Benevolent  Society,  Des  Moines,  la.  5.00 
June     22.     Home  for  Jewish  Friendless  and  Working 

Girls,  Chicago 20.00 

July        6.     Hebrew  Benevolent  Association,  Waco,  Tex.  5.00 

April   interest 2.85 

May   interest 2.84 

June  interest 2.54 

July        8.     United    Hebrew     Charities,    Montgomery, 

Ala 5.00 

Dec.      23.     Ladies'  Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Vicks- 

burg   5.00 

1909. 

Feb.        2.     Ladies'  Relief  Sewing  Society,  Milwaukee.  5.00 

Beth  Israel  Benevolent  Society,  Houston. .  5.00 
Feb.        ,6.     Hebrew    Benevolent    Society,    Alexandria, 

Va 5.00 

Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Mobile,  Ala.  .  5.00 
Federation  of  Jewish  Charities,  Atlanta. . .  5.00 
Ladies'  Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Niag- 
ara Falls 5.00 

Feb.        8.     Temple  Israel,  Paducah,  Ky 5.00 

Feb.      10.     Council  Jewish  Women,  New  York 5.00 

United     Hebrew    Benevolent    Association, 

Boston    17.00 

Young  Ladies'  Relief  Society,  Scranton,  Pa.  5.00 

Free  Synagogue,  New  York 5.00 

Congregation  Emanu  El,  Dallas 5.00 

Jewish  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  Lincoln,  Neb. .  5.00 

Jewish  Relief  Society,  St.  Paul 5.00 


NATIONAL   CONFERENCE    OF   JEWISH    CHARITIES.  299 

Ladies'  Auxiliary,  Y.   M.   H.   A.,  Wilkes- 

Barre,    Pa 5.00 

Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Baltimore.  . .  .  21.00 

Jewish  Eelief  Society,  Denver 5.00 

Jewish  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  Sioux  City,  La.  5.00 

Feb.      13.     Jewish  Orphan  Asylum,  Bochester 7.00 

Jewish  Relief  Society,  Salt  Lake  City.  . .  .  5.00 

Hebrew  Orphans'  Home,  Atlanta,  Ga.  . .  .  13.00 

United  Hebrew  Charities,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  35.00 

Feb.      15.     Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Columbus,  0.  5.00 

Montefiore  Home,  New  York 50.00 

Emanu  El  Sisterhood,  San  Francisco '5.00 

United  Hebrew   Congregation,   Gainesville, 

Tenn 5.00 

United  Jewish  Charities,  Bochester,  N.  Y.  .  5.00 

Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Baltimore.  . .  .  50.00 

Feb.      17.     United  Hebrew  Charities,  Wheeling 5.00 

United  Jewish  Charities,  Syracuse 5.00 

United  Jewish   Charities,  Detroit 9.30 

Jewish  Foster  Home,  Philadelphia 25.00 

United  Hebrew  Charities,  New  York 50.00 

Detroit  Ladies'  Society  for  the  Support  of 

Hebrew  Widows  and  Orphans 5.00 

Feb.      20.     Hebrew      Benevolent      Society,      Colorado 

Springs  5.00 

Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Youngstown,  0.  5.00 

Feb.  23.  United  Hebrew  Charities,  Washington,  D.  C.  5.00 
Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Galveston.  . .  .  5.00 
Ladies'  Benevolent  Society,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  5.00 
Adath  Israel  Congregation,  Louisville,  Ky.  5.00 
Jewish  Women's  Benevolent  Society,  Port- 
land, Ore 5.00 

Hebrew  Ladies'  Ben.  Society,  Minneapolis.  5.00 

Feb.      24.     Hebrew  Ladies'  Relief  Society,  Dayton,  0.  5.00 

Feb.      26.     Daughters  of  Israel  Relief  Society,  Oakland, 

Cal 5.00 

Ladies'  Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Seattle  5.00 


300 


PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   SIXTH 


Feb.      28.     Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Evansville,  Ind.  5.00 

United  Hebrew  Charities,  Montgomery,  Ala.  5.00 

Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Waco,  Tex. . .  5.00 

March     4.     Baron  de  Hirsch  Fund,  New  York 50.00 

Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Albany 5.00 

Associated  Jewish  Charities,  Chicago 50.00 

Jewish  Hospital  Association,  Philadelphia, 

Pa 50.00 

Leopold  Morse  Home  &  Orphanage,  Boston  11.00 
March     5.     Jewish  Charitable  and  Educational  Union, 

St.   Louis 45.00 

March     8.     Hebrew  Free  Loan  Society,  New  York. . . .  5.00 
Ladies'  Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Savan- 
nah      5.00 

March  10.     Chicago  Woman's  Aid  Society 5.00 

Hebrew  Benevolent   Society,   New   Haven, 

Conn 5.00 

Mt.  Sinai  Congregation,  El  Paso,  Tex. . .  .  5.00 
Jewish  Orphans'  Home  and  Benevolent  As- 
sociation, Meridian,   Miss 5.00 

March  11.     Jewish    Women's    Benevolent    Association, 

Houston    5.00 

Federation  Jewish  Charities,  Cleveland...  49.00 

March  12.     Hebrew  Relief  Society,  Nashville,  Tenn. . .  5.00 

March  13.     Orphans'  Guardian  Society,  Philadelphia.  .  5.00 

March  17.     Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Des  Moines.  .  5.00 

Hebrew  Benevolent   Society,   Charleston.  .  5.00 

Young  Women's  Union,  Philadelphia 15.00 

Ladies'   Sanitary   and   Benevolent   Society, 

Milwaukee    5.00 

March  19.     Y.  M.  H.  A.,  New  York 5.00 

March  23.     Temple  Beth  El,  Pensacola,  Fla 5.00 

April       5.     Bureau  of  Personal  Service,  Chicago 5.00 

Jewish  Orphan  Asylum,  Cleveland 50.00 

April       7.     Mt.  Sinai  Hospital,  Milwaukee 8.74 

April     19.     Ladies'  Aid  Society,  Portsmouth,  0 5.00 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE    OF    JEWISH    CHARITIES.  301 

April     28.     Temple  Aid  Society,  Duluth,  Minn 5.00 

United  Hebrew  Charities,  Cincinnati 38.00 

April     29.     Touro  Infirmary  and  Benevolent  Association 

of  New   Orleans 25.00 

Council  of  Jewish  Women,  Pittsburg 5.00 

May        4.     Jewish  Home  Society,  Albany 5.00 

May      13.     United  Hebrew  Relief  Society,  Louisville ..  5.00 

Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum,  Newark 5.00 

United  Jewish  Charities,  Kansas  City.  . .  .  5.00 
May      26.     Independent  Jewish   Charities,  Milwaukee, 

Wis 5.00 

United  Hebrew  Charity  Association,  Sioux 

City,    la 5.00 

June       3.     Hebrew  Eelief  Association,  Peoria,  111....  5.00 
June     30.     Hebrew  Benevolent  Loan  Society,  Buffalo .  .  5.00 
July        1.     Hebrew  Board  of  Relief,  San  Francisco.  .  .  50.00 
July       5.     Hebrew  Ladies'   Benevolent  Society,  Rich- 
mond    5.00 

July      15.     Associated    Jewish     Charities,     Vicksburg, 

Miss 5.00 

Sept.     15.     Association  for  Relief  of  Jewish  Widows  and 

Orphans,  New  Orleans 25.00 

Oct.       21.     United  Hebrew  Charity  Association  of  Lan- 
caster, Pa 5.00 

Nov.        6.     United  Hebrew  Charities,  Birmingham,  Ala.  5.00 

Nov.      10.     United  Hebrew  Relief  Association,  Memphis  10.00 
Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,   Los   Angeles, 

Cal 5.00 

Nov.      18.     Jewish  Aid  Society,  Chicago 50.00 

Jewish  Federation,  Indianapolis 5.00 

Interest  on  deposit 12.64 

Interest  on  deposit 26.36 

Nov.      22.     Congregation  B'nai  Israel,  Kalamazoo .  . .  .  5.00 

Montefiore  Benevolent  Society,  San  Antonio  10.00 

Nov.      30.     Hebrew  Immigrant  Aid  Society,  New  York  12.00 

Nov.      30.     Braddock  Lodge  No.  516,  I.  0.  B.  B 5.00 


302  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE   SIXTH 

Dec.        6.     Hebrew  Ladies'  Ben.  Society,  Toledo 5.00 

Hebrew  Home  for  the  Aged  and   Infirm 

Richmond,  Va 5.00 

Congregation  Beth  Ahabah,  Richmond,  Va.  5.00 

Dec.      14.     Hachnosas  Orchim,  Kansas  City 5.00 

Dec.      21.     Jewish  Sheltering  Home,  Denver 5.00 

Dec.      29.     Ladies'  Hebrew  Ben.  Society,  Vicksburg. .  5.00 

United  Hebrew  Charities,  Baltimore 28.00 

1910. 

Jan.      12.     Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Buffalo 9.00 

Jan.      24.     Hebrew  Relief  Assn.,  Pine  Bluff,  Ark 5.00 

Feb.        1.     First  Heb.  Ben.  Society,  Portland,  Ore 5.00 

Feb.        7.     Ladies'  Aid  Society,  Portsmouth,  Ohio....  5.00 

Jewish  Home  Society,  Albany 5.00 

Feb.        8.     Jewish  Orphan  Asylum,  Rochester,  N.  Y. .  7.00 

United  Jewish  Charities,  Rochester,  N.  Y.  .  5.00 

United  Jewish  Charities,  Detroit,  Mich.  . .  .  8.20 

Feb.      10.     Hebrew  Relief  Society,  Nashville,  Tenn. . .  5.00 

United  Hebrew  Charities,  Mobile 5.00 

Jewish  Charities,  Columbus 5.00 

Feb.      14.     Hebrew  Ben.  Society,  Waco,  Tex 5.00 

Montefiore  Home,  New  York 50.00 

Hebrew  Benevolent  Society,  Evansville. . . .  5.00 

Jewish  Orphan  Home,  Meridian,  Miss. . .  .  5.00 
Ladies'  Auxiliary,   Y.   M.   H.   A.,  Wilkes- 

Barre,   Pa 5.00 

Federation  Jewish  Charities,  Louisville . . .  5.00 
Association    Relief    Jewish    Widows    and 

Orphans,  New  Orleans 25.00 

Feb.      16.     Council  Jewish  Women,  Washington 5.00 

Orphans'  Home,  Atlanta 13.00 

Adath  Israel  Congregation,  Louisville....  5.00 

United  Hebrew  Charities,  New  York 50.00 

Feb.      17.     Temple  Israel,  Paducah,  Ky 5.00 

Ladies'  Hebrew  Ben.  Society,  Stockton.  . .  .  10.00 

Congregation  B'nai  Israel,  Kalamazoo .  . .  .  5.00 

Jewish  Ladies'  Ben.  Society,  St.  Joseph. . .  5.00 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE    OF    JEWISH    CHARITIES. 


303 


Feb.      21.     Jewish   Federation,  Indianapolis 5.00 

Jewish  Foster  Home,  Phialedlphia 25.00 

Ladies'  Heb.  Ben.  Society,  Niagara 5.00 

Jewish  Women's  Ben.  Society,  Portland.  .  5.00 

United  Hebrew  Congregation,  Gainesville .  .  5.00 

Jewish  Relief  Society,  Denver 5.00 

Heb.  Ben.  Society,  Charleston 5.00 

Feb.      22.     United  Jewish  Charities,  Kansas  Ctiy ....  5.00 

Heb.  Ben.  Society,  Los  Angeles 5.00 

Feb.      23.     Ladies'  Relief  Sewing  Society,  Milwaukee. .  5.00 
Braddock  Lodge,  No.  516,  I.  0.  B.  B.,  Brad- 
dock    5.00 

March     1.     Heb.  Ben.  Society,  New  Haven,  Conn....  5.00 

Associated  Jewish  Charities,  Chicago 50.00 

March     2.     Council  Jewish  Women,  Pittsburg 5.00 

Heb.  Ben.  Society,  Albany 5.00 

Orphans'  Guardian  Society,  Philadelphia.  .  5.00 

Baron  de  Hirsch  Fund,  New  York 50.00 

United  Hebrew  Relief,  Philadelphia 35.00 

Free  Loan  Assn.,  New  York 5.00 

Federation  Jewish  Charities,  Cleveland.  . .  53.00 

March     8.     Jewish  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  Sioux  City.  .  5.00 

March     9.     United  Hebrew  Charities,  Birmingham . .  .  5.00 

March  10.     Congregation  Beth  Ahabah,  Richmond ....  5.00 

Hebrew  Home  for  Aged  and  Infirm 5.00 

Ladies'  Heb.  Ben.  Society,  Norfolk 5.00 

Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Baltimore.  . .  .  50.00 

Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Des  Moines.  .  5.00 

Free  Synagogue,  New  York 5.00 

Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum  and  Ben.  Society, 

Newark 5.00 

March  11.     Ladies'  Fuel  and  Aid  Society,  New  York.  .  5.00 

Jewish  Women's  Ben.  Society,  Houston.  .  5.00 

Chicago  Women's  Aid  Society 5.00 

Jewish  Relief  Society,  Salt  Lake 5.00 

Daughters  of  Israel  Rel.  Society,  Oakland.  5.00 


304 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE   SIXTH 


March  12.     Beth  Israel  Ben.  Society,  Houston 5.00 

Heb.  Ladies'  Ben.  Society,  Toledo 5.00 

March  16.     Young  Men's  H.  Assn.,  New  York 5.00 

Bureau  of  Personal  Service,  Chicago 5.00 

Hot  Springs  Disbursement  Committee....  15.00 

Jewish  Belief  Society,  St.  Paul 5.00 

Heb.   Ben.   Society,   Savannah 5.00 

Heb.  Orphan  Asylum,  New  York 50.00 

Mt.  Sinai  Congregation,  El  Paso 5.00 

March  22.     Emanuel  Sisterhood,  San  Francisco 5.00 

March  25.     Jewish  Ladies'  Eel.  Society,  Scranton 5.00 

April       4.     Congregation  Emanuel,  Dallas 5.00 

April     11.     Touro   Infirmary  and   Heb.   Ben.    Society, 

New   Orleans 25.00 

Hebrew  Charity  Assn.,  Wilmington 10.00 

United  Hebrew  Charity  Assn.,  Sioux  City. .  5.00 

Boston  Hebrew  Women's  Sewing  Society. .  10.00 

United  Jewish  Charities,  Syracuse 5.00 

April     15.     Hebrew  Eel.  Assn.,  Milwaukee 10.00 

April     18.     Hebrew  Ladies'  Ben.  Society,  Seattle....  5.00 

Young  Women's  Union,  Philadelphia....  15.00 
April     23.     Jewish  Charitable  and  Educational  Union, 

St.   Louis 45.00 

April     27.     Temple  Aid  Society,  Duluth 5.00 

May        6.     United  Jewish  Charities,  Cincinnati 28.00 

May        7.     Hebrew  Widows'  and  Orphans'  Society.  ..  .  5.00 

May      13.     Federated  Jewish  Charities,  Youngstown. .  5.00 

Interest  for  November 3.25 

Interest  for  December 3.02 

Interest  for  January 2.46 

Interest  for  February 3.72 

Interest  for  March 2.62 

$4,170.76 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE    OF    JEWISH    CHARITIES. 


305 


DISBURSEMENTS. 
1908. 

May        1.     S.   Lowenstein $  35.00 

John   H.   Bennett 75.00 

May        2.     S.   Lowenstein 5.00 

May      14.     A.   Ginsberg  &  Bro 61 .75 

Whitehead   &   Hoag 50.70 

H.  L.  Sabsovich 50.00 

S.  Lowenstein 46.30 

Bernard    Ginsburg 19.35 

Bernard  Greensfelder 6.00 

June     22.     Louis  H.  Levin,  account  rendered 25.09 

July        6.     0.  Raymond  Brown 136.80 

July      23.     Jos.  Pedott 150.00 

Oct.         1.     Jos.  Pedott 100.00 

Dec.      23.     Louis  H.  Levin,  account  rendered 42.65 

Meyer  &  Thalheimer 2.83 

Kohn  &  Pollock 45.00 

1909. 

Feb.        2.     Jos.  Pedott 150.00 

Louis  H.  Levin,  account  rendered 7.50 

Lee  K.  Frankel 5.00 

March  22.     Louis  H.  Levin,  account  rendered 42.00 

Oct.       28.     Louis  H.  Levin,  account  rendered 42.15 

Nov.      18.     Exchange  on  checks 4.10 

Nov.      24.     Louis  H.  Levin,  account  rendered 599.83 

1910. 

March  25.     Louis  H.  Levin,  account  rendered 60.34 

Kohn  &  Pollock 29.75 

April     22.     United  States  Express  Co 1.10 

Exchange  on  checks 2.35 

Stenographic  services 10.00 

Returned  to  Cleveland   (over  payment) .  .  .  3.00 


Total  $  1,808.59 


306 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE   SIXTH 

Total    receipts $  4,170.76 

Total  disbursements 1,808.59 


Balance $  2,362.17 

Balance  on  hand  May  1,  1909 $  1,847.22 

Receipts  to  May  15,  1910 2,318.54 


Total $  4,170.76 

Total  disbursements . .  1 .808.59 


Balance  on  hand $  2,362.17 

BERNARD  GREENSFELDER, 

Treasurer. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF    JEWISH    CHARITIES.  307 


'Transportation  Decisions 


RULES  FOR  THE  REGULATION  OF 
TRANSPORTATION. 


1.  A  Transient  shall  mean  any  person  (including  his  family) 
who  shall  have  become  a  charge  upon  the  charities  of  the  city 
where  he  may  be,  within  nine  months  of  the  time  of  his  arrival 
at  that  city,  unless  he  shall  have  become  dependent  through  un- 
avoidable accident. 

2.  A  telegraphic  code  shall  be  used  for  the  prompt  and  eco- 
nomical exchange  of  information  regarding  transportation  between 
the  constituent  associations,  and  each  association  agrees  and  binds 
itself  to  reply  to  all  inquiries  submitted  to  it  as  soon  as  the  neces- 
sary investigations  can  be  made. 

3.  No  applicant   for   transportation  shall  be   forwarded   from 
one  city  to  another,  nor  shall  half-rate  tickets,  paid  for  by  the 
applicant,  be  furnished  without  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  city 
of  destination.     But  should  the  applicant  be  a  transient  within  the 
meaning  as  above  defined,  he  may  be  returned  to  the  city  where 
he  last  resided,  not  as  a  transient,  or  to  any  city  where  transporta- 
tion shall  have  been  furnished  him;  in  either  case,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  city  to  which  he  shall  be  returned,  provided  the  state- 
ment as  to  residence  be  confirmed  by  investigation  in  said  city. 
Whenever  transportation  is  furnished,  even  if  paid  for  by  the  appli- 
cant, notice  shall  be  sent  to  the  city  of  destination. 

4.  The  initial  city  shall  in   all   cases  furnish   transportation 
through  to  the  city  of  destination.     In  the  event  of  any  violation 
of  this  rule,  the  receiving  city,  shall  at  its  option,  after  investiga- 
tion, transport  the  applicant  to  his  destination   or  to  the  city  from 
which  he  came,  at  the  cost  of  the  initial  city. 

1  The   Transportation   Committee   consists   of   Judge   Julian   W.    Mack,   chair- 
man,  Chicago  ;   Mr.   Max   Senior,   Cincinnati ;    Max   Herzberg,    Esq.,   Philadelphia. 
During  Mr.  Senior's  absence  from  the  country  Judge  Nathan  Bijur  of  New  York 
has  acted   in   his   place. 

2  The  Rules  are  now  in  course  of  revision  by  the  Transportation  Committee. 


308  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  SIXTH 

5.  Any  woman  wishing  to  seek  or  desiring  to  join  her  hus- 
band  shall  not  be  assisted  with  transportation  under  any  circum- 
stances   without  the  consent  of  the  city  where  it  is  claimed  the 
husband  resides. 

6.  Any  violations,  disputes  or  misunderstandings  between  con- 
stituent associations  under  these  rules    shall  be  referred  to  the 
Executive  Committee,  who  shall  investigate  the  same,  and  whose 
decision  shall  be  final  and  binding. 


NUMBER  1. 
UNAUTHORIZED  TRANSPORTATION. 

Removal    Ordered    by    Physician — Funds    Furnished    by    Non- 
Members — Protection  of  Health  Resorts. 


On  December  24,  1908,  the  town  of  E  filed  its  claim  with 
the  National  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities  against  the  city  of 
8  in  the  following  statement,  submitted  under  oath: 

"I,  Mrs.  G,  first  being  duly  sworn,  depose  and  say  that  I  am 
the  person  who  was,  together  with  my  husband  and  four  children, 
sent  to  E  by  the  Society  of  S.  That  the  matron  of  the  aforesaid 
institution  Mrs.  S  and  Mrs.  R  knew  that  I  was  pregnant;  that 
I  begged  to  be  allowed  to  stay  in  8  until  after  my  confinement, 
and  that  my  husband  be  sent  on  alone;  that  I  was  told  to  sell  all 
my  furniture  before  tickets  for  the  journey  would  be  purchased, 
and  that  I  received  from  the  sale  of  my  furniture  $11  and  for  my 
sewing  machine  $8;  that  the  matron  of  the  Society  purchased  the 
tickets  and  handed  them  to  me,  at  the  same  time  giving  me  the 
address  of  a  resident  of  E  and  telling  me  how  well  the  family 
that  had  been  previously  sent  to  that  city  was  doing ;  that  the  $20 
collected  at  one  of  the  synagogues  was  given  to  me  some  time  before 
and  used  for  food  and  clothes  while  in  S;  that  the  Society  gave 
me  $15  for  use  on  the  road  and  that  Mrs.  R  gave  me  an  additional 
$10  to  induce  me  to  accompany  my  husband,  saying  that  it  was 
my  duty  to  go  with  him  if  I  really  loved  him." 

E  has  an  estimated  Jewish  population  of  350;  S  has  an  esti- 
mated Jewish  population  of  40,000.  The  latter  is  a  large  mer- 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF    JEWISH    CHARITIES.  309 

cantile  and  industrial  center,  the  former  has  some  reputation  as 
a  health  resort  for  consumptives.  Both  are  members  of  the  Na- 
tional Conference. 

The  G  family  consisted  of  father,  mother  and  four  children  at 
the  time  they  moved  from  8  to  E.  The  man  was  tuberculous,  and 
was  advised  by  his  physician  to  seek  a  change  of  climate.  The 
woman  was  pregnant.  There  is  evidence  that  the  agents  of  the 
Society  knew  her  condition.  The  family  arrived  at  E  without  the 
permission  of  E,  and  was  soon  on  the  local  charities.  Society  at 
S  admits  furnishing  transportation  for  0  family,  but  says  that  the 
funds  were  supplied  by  a  non-Jewish  immigration  association.  It 
also  admits  giving  G  some  money,  and  maintains  that  at  the  time 
G  left  8  he  should  have  had  nearly  $100  in  his  possession,  besides 
transportation.  S  further  maintains  that  the  orders  of  G's  physi- 
cian that  he  be  sent  away  were  imperative,  and  that  S  acted  only 
from  motives  of  humanity  and  in  order  to  save  human  life  in 
sending  the  G  family  to  the  town  of  E,  and,  moreover,  they  had 
been  sent  with  sufficient  funds  to  keep  them  until  G  could  get  work. 
E  denies  that  G  had  the  sum  of  money  S  asserts,  and  says  that 
what  G  did  have  was  spent  in  breaking  up  house  at  S  and  re- 
establishing it  at  E.  A  statement  by  a  party  who  had  personally 
helped  the  family  at  S,  that  he  had  enlisted  the  support  of  the 
Society  at  S,  is  filed  by  E,  and  is  not  denied  by  S. 

E  claimed  expenses  connected  with  the  confinement  of  G's  wife, 
and  $5  a  week  toward  supporting  the  family  until  G  could  become 
self-supporting.  S  offered  to  pay  confinement  expenses. 

Submitted  to  the  Transportation  Committee — MACK.  SENIOR 
and  HERZBERG. 

DECISION— (HERZBERG)  : 

S's  error  consisted  in  the  sending  of  this  family  without  prior 
permission,  and  because  of  that  fact  should  pay  the  bill  presented. 

The  Committee  fully  recognizes  the  force  of  S's  argument,  arid 
the  same  questions  confront  all  the  larger  cities. 

Justice  to  the  communities  in  the  health  resorts  requires  that 
no  families  be  furnished  with  transportation  unless  investigation 
is  first  had  and  permission  obtained.  If  a  family  is  sent  without 
permission,  the  forwarding  city  must  be  held  responsible,  if  it  runs 


310  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  SIXTH 

the  chances  of  the  family  becoming  self-supporting  and  it  after- 
wards becomes  dependent. 

The  Committee,  in  deciding  the  issue  raised  in  favor  of  E, 
acquits  $  of  any  deliberate  or  willful  violation  of  the  rules,  and  is 
confident  that  its  action  was  dictated  by  the  humane  intent  to 
benefit  a  sickly  and  distressed  family. 

The  decision  was  unanimous. 

Decision  filed  February  9,  1909. 


NUMBER  2. 
INTERPRETATION  OF  RULE  3. 

Return  of   Transients   to  Place  of  Domicile — Responsibility  for 
Voluntary   Wanderers — Inadequate   Telegrams. 


INQUIRY  FROM  THE  CITY  OF  L. 

May  we  ask  whether  Rule  3  of  the  Conference  Regulations  gov- 
erning transportation  would  admit  of  returning  a  family  to  another 
city,  member  of  the  Conference,  who  had  not  been  furnished  by 
the  Charity  Society  with  transportation,  but  had  themselves  paid 
it,  and  became  a  charge  upon  our  Society  within  a  few  weeks  after 
arrival  here?  We  notice  the  rule  provides  that  should  the  appli- 
cant be  a  transient  within  the  meaning  as  defined  by  Rule  1,  he 
may  be  returned  to  the  city  where  he  last  resided,  not  as  a  transient, 
or  to  any  city  where  transportation  shall  have  been  furnished  him, 
etc.  Are  we  to  understand  that  the  expense  is  to  be  borne  by  the 
city  to  which  the  applicant  shall  be  returned,  even  if  that  city  did 
not  furnish  the  transportation  on  the  going  trip? 

Submitted  to  the  Transportation  Committee — MACK,  SENIOR 
and  HERZBERG. 

DECISION— (HERZBERG)  : 

The  question  submitted  to  the  Transportation  Committee  for 
decision  is,  whether  an  applicant  for  charity,  being  a  transient, 
may  be  returned  to  the  city  where  he  belongs,  at  the  expense  of 
that  city,  even  if  such  city  did  not  furnish  the  original  transporta- 
tion, but  which  was  paid  for  by  the  applicant  himself? 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE    OF    JEWISH    CHARITIES.  311 

I  am  of  the  opinion  that  Rule  3  does  not  cover  such  a  case,  nor 
was  it  the  intention  of  the  framers  of  the  rules  to  impose  such  a 
burden  upon  the  home  city.  The  manifest  intention  of  the  rules 
was  to  discourage  the  granting  of  tickets  or  the  assistance  of  an 
intended  traveler  without  the  permission  of  the  city  of  destination, 
and  to  penalize  the  home  city  only  for  an  infraction  of  such  rule. 
There  would  be  little  justice  in  attempting  to  make  each  city  re- 
sponsible for  the  voluntary  acts  of  all  the  people  who  live  in  it, 
and  to  hold  a  contrary  opinion,  might  only  encourage  persons  to 
wander  to  other  cities  with  the  knowledge  that  they  would  surely 
be  returned  without  cost  to  themselves,  and  at  the  expense  of  the 
city  from  which  they  came. 

When  an  applicant,  being  a  transient,  applies  for  assistance  in 
any  city,  such  city  may  return  him  at  its  ^wn  expense  to  the 
city  where  he  really  belongs,  and  return  him  at  the  expense  of  his 
home  city  only  if  the  transportation  is  furnished  to  him,  either 
gratuitously  or  upon  his  payment  therefor,  without  the  consent 
of  the  city  of  destination. 

I  am  willing  to  concede  that  the  language  of  the  rule  may  be 
somewhat  obscure,  and  that  it  might  have  been  worded  more 
clearly,  but  I  think  that  the  words,  "where  transportation  shall 
have  been  furnished  him,"  refers  both  "to  the  city  where  he  last 
resided  not  as  transient"  and  "or  to  any  city." 

The  main  purpose  of  these  rules  was  to  discourage  the  practice 
of  furnishing  transportation  without  properly  investigating  or 
obtaining  the  consent  of  the  city  of  destination,  and  to  prevent 
the  practice,  unhappily  common  theretofore,  of  getting  rid  of  a 
burden  by  foisting  it  upon  another  community.  That  practice 
has  been  summarily  stopped  by  the  adoption  and  enforcement  of 
these  rules,  and  it  would  be  unfortunate  if  they  were  enlarged  by 
attempting  to  hold  a  city  responsible  for  all  its  inhabitants  who 
may  choose  to  wander  or  change  their  habitation  without  the  ad- 
vice or  assistance  of  the  city  which  they  claim  as  their  home. 
Such  a  rule  could  never  be  enforced,  for  the  cases  that  would 
spring  up  under  it  would  be  legion,  and  the  hardships  thus  im- 
posed would  cause  a  total  disregard  of  the  rules  and  rulings  of  the 
Transportation  Committee. 


312  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  SIXTH 

L.  vs.  P. 

The  facts  in  this  case  come  directly  under  the  ruling  just  laid 
down  interpreting  Rule  3.  It  is  conceded  that  applicant  had  not 
been  assisted  to  leave  by  P.  The  following  telegrams  were  ex- 
changed between  L  and  P,  while  discussing  the  case : 

L  TO  P. 

"M.  G.,  discharged  Denver  patient,  claims  lived  care  Mrs.  B.  D., 
318  A.  Ave.  Verify." 

P  TO  L. 

"G  is  a  regular  schnorrer  has  no  relation  very  well  known  here." 
L  interpreted  the  latter  telegram  to  mean  that  G  was  a  resident 
of  P,  and  sent  him  to  that  city. 

DECISION— (MACK)  : 

1.  In  accordance  with  the  recent  decision  as  to  Rule  3,  L  has 
no  claim,  inasmuch  as  there  is  no  proof  that  P  assisted  the  appli- 
cant in  leaving. 

2.  In  any  event,  P's  reply  did  not  justify  the  inference  that 
G  was  a  resident  of  P. 

3.  P,  however,  should  have  given  a  more  definite  answer  in 
the  interest  of  economy  in  telegraphing.     The  reply  justified  a 
counter  inquiry. 


NUMBER  3. 
L.  vs.  N. 

In  this  case  N  expressed  no  objection  to  the  return  of  the  ap- 
plicant to  that  city,  where  he  had  a  sister  to  receive  him,  but  dis- 
claimed responsibility  for  expense  of  the  return  because  applicant 
had  left  N  without  assistance  from  any  of  the  charities.  Held, 
that  N  is  not  responsible  for  the  return  charges  under  the  inter- 
pretation of  Rule  3,  above  given. 

Decisions  were  unanimous. 
Filed  August  24,  1909. 


NATIONAL  CONFERENCE  OF  JEWISH  CHARITIES.          313 

NUMBER  4. 
PASSING  PATIENTS  ALONG  TO  DENVER. 

Duty  of  City  Receiving  Patients  Bound  for  Denver — "The  Spirit 
of  True  Jewish  Benevolence" — City  Receiving  in  Error  not 
Justified  in  Forwarding  in  Error. 


C.  vs.  T. 

C  asks  for  a  ruling  in  the  following  case:  Mrs.  N.  Z.,  with 
three  children,  called  at  the  office  of  C  and  requested  aid  in  travel- 
ing to  Denver.  She  came  originally  from  Ph.,  where  there  is  no 
organized  Jewish  charity.  From  Ph.  she  went  or  was  sent  to  P, 
thence  to  Ch.,  thence  to  Y ,  which  sent  her  to  T,  and  T,  which  is 
a  member  of  the  National  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities,  for- 
warded her  to  C,  which  thereupon  filed  its  complaint  against  T. 
T  does  not  deny  sending  the  family  to  C,  and  in  defence  of  its 
action  says: 

"When  a  poor  Jewish  woman  comes  here  with  three  children, 
two  of  whom  are  afflicted  with  tuberculosis,  on  her  way  to  Denver 
for  treatment  and  possible  cure,  friendless  and  moneyless,  what 
would  you  consider  the  proper  course  for  us  to  pursue?  Surely, 
you  would  not  have  them  sent  back  East,  whence  they  came,  and 
thus  retard  their  journey  and  thereby  diminish  the  chances  for 
treatment  at  Denver.  .  .  .  We  certainly  have  been  obliged  to 
handle  this  case  in  a  spirit  of  true  Jewish  Benevolence." 

There  is  nothing  in  the  record  to  show  that  the  cases  were 
suitable  for  treatment  at  Denver,  and  at  the  last  meeting  of  the 
National  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities  the  following  resolution 
was  adopted: 

"Resolved,  That  the  efficiency  of  the  National  Jewish  Hospital 
for  Consumptives  should  not  be  impaired  by  sending  of  such  ad- 
vanced cases  as  are  not  suitable  for  treatment  in  that  institution." 

Submitted  to  the  Transportation  Committee — MACK,  SENIOR 
and  HERZBERG. 


314  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  SIXTH 

DECISION— (SENIOR)  : 

The  language  of  the  transportation  rule  is  so  plain  that  it  can- 
not be  mistaken. 

T,  having  forwarded  the  Z  family  to  C,  without  C's  consent, 
and  that  family  having  become  a  charge  upon  C  charities,  T  is 
responsible  for  all  charges  incurred  by  C,  r.egardless  of  the  fact 
that,  according  to  the  statement  of  T,  the  family  did  not  originate 
in  that  city. 

Of  course,  T,  in  turn,  will  have  a  valid  claim  upon  Ch.  or  Y 
or  P  for  all  expenses  incurred  in  C,  as  well  as  any  incurred  in  T, 
if  the  T  charities  can  prove  that  the  Z  family  was  forwarded  from 
either  of  the  cities  mentioned  by  the  charity  organization  of  that 
city.  I  would  especially  urge  upon  T  to  present  such  a  claim,  in 
case  T  can  prove  its  contention. 

I  wish  to  emphasize  that  it  is  not  "a  spirit  of  true  Jewish  benevo- 
lence" to  unload  a  sick*  and  helpless  family  upon  any  other  city, 
and  especially  upon  a  city  already  so  overburdened  as  Denver. 

Decision  unanimous. 
Filed  February  1,  1910. 


NUMBER  5. 

STATUS  OF  PERSONS  SENT  OUT  BY  INDUSTRIAL 
REMOVAL  OFFICE. 

Construction  of  Contract  with  Industrial  Removal  Office — 
Tuberculosis  as  Unavoidable  Accident — The  Responsibility 
of  Metropolitan  Cities — Moot  Cases  Not  Approved. 


L.  vs.  C. 

The  complaint  in  this  case  was  filed  by  L  against  C  on  April 
4,  1910.  The  facts  are  sufficiently  stated  in  the  opinion  of  the 
Committee. 

Decision  by  Judge  Mack,  in  which  Mr.  Herzberg  and  Judge 
Bijur  concurred. 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE   OF    JEWISH    CHARITIES.  315 

DECISION— (MACK)  : 

J.  B.,  who  had  lived  with  his  wife  and  three  children  in  New 
York  for  9  years,  and  had  always  supported  them,  was  induced 
by  the  Industrial  Removal  Office  to  go  to  L,  which,  under  contract 
with  the  I.  R.  0.,  accepted  him  and  found  work  for  him,  giving 
him  only  temporary  assistance  until  work  was  found.  After  5 
months'  residence,  and  against  the  advice  of  the  Superintendent 
of  the  Federated  Jewish  Charities  of  L,  he  took  his  family  to  N 
at  the  request  of  his  wife's  sister,  who  resided  there.  He  at  once 
found  work  in  C,  which  is  just  across  the  river  from  N.  The  N 
Jews  are  nearly  all  of  the  working  class,  have  no  organization, 
and  in  serious  cases  are  assisted  by  the  United  Jewish  Charities 
of  C,  of  which  it  is  practically  a  suburb.  A  fourth  child  was  born 
there. 

After  5  months  B  developed  tuberculosis,  consulted  the  phy- 
sicians of  the  Denver  Hospital  in  C,  who  refused  pay,  and  recom- 
mended him  to  the  United  Jewish  Charities  for  treatment  at 
Denver. 

C,  in  order  to  secure  an  interpretation  of  the  transportation 
rules  of  the  National  Conference  of  Jewish  Charities,  sent  the 
family  back  to  L. 

L  claims  reimbursement  for  all  outlays  resulting  from  the  re- 
turn of  the  family  by  C,  on  the  following  grounds : 

1.  B  was  not  a  resident  of  L,  as  he  had  resided  there  less  than 
9  months.     He  was  therefore  a  transient  within  Rule  1. 

2.  His  illness  was  of  5  weeks'  duration.    It  was  an  unavoidable 
accident  within  Rule  1,  and  the  family  should  not,  even  if  deemed 
residents  of  L,  have  been  returned. 

3.  C  was  not  responsible  for  him.     N  was  his  residence.     If 
C  helped  out  of  humanitarian  considerations,  it  could  not  for  that 
reason  compel  another  constituent  society  to  assist  it  in  the  care 
of  families  residing  either  permanently  or  temporarily  in  a  non- 
constituent  city — N. 

C  counterclaims  its  expenses  on  the  ground  that  as  L  by  its 
contract  with  the  I.  R.  0.  assumed  the  care  of  the  family,  B  must 
be  treated  in  all  respects  like  a  resident  of  L,  irrespective  of  his 
period  of  residence. 


31(i  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  SIXTH 

In  our  judgment,  C  should  not  have  returned  the  family  merely 
to  secure  a  ruling.  The  Committee  is,  or  should  be,  deemed  em- 
powered to  settle  actual  controversies  between  the  parties,  without 
compelling  the  unnecessary  shifting  about  of  families.  As  to  the 
questions  raised,  we  hold: 

1.  B  was  a  transient  in  L,  whatever  L's  obligations  may  be 
toward  the  I.  R.  0.    Under  our  rules,  he  must  be  deemed  a  tran- 
sient— 9  months'  residence  means  actual  residence. 

2.  An  illness  that  develops  from  causes  not  existing  at  the  time 
of  residence  in  the  former  home  is  to  be  deemed  an  unavoidable 
accident  within  Rule  1. 

The  object  of  the  rule  was  to  enable  the  return  of  dependents, 
who  had  been  shifted  about,  not  of  actual  workers,  who  had  been 
self-sustaining  in  their  former  homes,  had  left  voluntarily  and 
at  their  own  expense  and  had  then  in  their  new  home  met  with 
sudden  disaster,  due  to  causes  not  theretofore  existing. 

Whether  or  not  the  causes  of  the  tuberculosis  existed  in  L  is 
not  clear.  In  view,  however,  of  our  first  finding,  this  becomes 
immaterial. 

3.  N  is  the  residence  of  people  working  in  the  city  of  C,  and 
is  to  be  deemed  a  part  of  C,  within  the  meaning  of  our  rules.    Its 
Jews,  especially  those  working  in  C,  are  essentially  a  part  of  the 
Jewish  community  of  C.     This  applies  to  all  suburban  localities, 
whether  technically  a  part  of  the  city  or  separate  municipalities 
in  the  same  county  or  State,  or  even  in  another  State,  if  the  local- 
ity is  for  practical  purposes,  so  far  as  the  Jews  are  concerned,  a 
part  of  the  metropolitan  community. 

4.  C's  counterclaim  is  for  the  foregoing  reasons  denied,  and 
L's  claim  upheld. 

Filed  August  8,  1910. 


NATIONAL  CONFERENCE  OF  JEWISH  CHARITIES.          317 

NUMBER  6. 
PART  TRANSPORTATION. 

Sending  Applicant  to  Nearest  Large  City — Right  of  City  Com- 
pleting Transportation  to  Reimbursement. 


L.  vs.  P. 

Submitted  to  Transportation  Committee — MACK,  HERZBERG 
and  BIJUR. 

DECISION— (HERZBERG)  : 

P  is  a  small  city  in  the  neighborhood  of  L,  and  has  a  relief 
society  in  connection  with  its  synagogue. 

A,  who  was  a  transient  in  P,  his  home  being  New  York,  applied 
for  assistance.  The  president  of  the  society  furnished  him  with 
transportation  to  L,  with  a  letter  to  the  society  there,  recommend- 
ing him  for  further  assistance.  L,  after  investigation,  sent  A  to 
his  home  in  New  York,  and  claims  the  expense  from  P. 

P  in  its  letters  stated  that  its  finances  would  not  permit  it  to 
furnish  transportation  further  than  L,  and,  unless  such  trans- 
portation were  furnished,  A  would  have  become  a  burden  on  P. 

This  case  is  so  clear  a  violation  of  the  rules  that  the  mere  state- 
ment of  the  facts  is  sufficient  to  justify  our  ruling  that  P  should 
reimburse  L  for  its  expenses  incurred  in  the  case. 

It  was  to  prevent  such  conduct  that  these  rules  were  promul- 
gated, and  it  is  to  the  interest  of  every  community  to  see  that 
they  are  strictly  enforced.     All  concur. 
Filed  September  20,  1910. 


NUMBER  7. 
TAKING  THE  HUSBAND'S  WORD. 

Uniting  Family  lll-advisedly — Transportation  Given  on  Infor- 
mation of  Husband — Such  Information  Does  Not  Suspend 
Rules. 

D.  vs.  G. 

The  papers  in  this  case  show  that  the  R  family  had  been  on  the 
charities  of  G  for  some  time,  when  Mrs.  R  appeared  with  a  letter 


318  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  SIXTH 

from  her  husband,  who  had  gone  to  the  city  of  D,  in  which  letter 
he  stated  that  he  was  able  and  willing  to  support  his  family.  The 
city  of  0  accepted  the  statement,  but  made  no  inquiry  of  the  city 
of  D  whether  the  family  might  be  sent  to  D  with  its  consent. 
Transportation  was  furnished  them  by  G  to  D.  When  the  family 
were  reunited  at  D  the  man  was  unable  to  support  them,  the  wife 
was  in  a  delicate  condition,  and  they  came  upon  the  charities  of 
D.  D  claims  reimbursement  for  all  funds  expended  on  the  fam- 
ily. Further  facts  are  stated  in  the  decision. 

Submitted  to  Transportation  Committee — MACK,  HERZBERG 
and  BIJDR. 

DECISION— (BuuR)  : 

The  essential  and  admitted  facts  of  this  case  are: 

Mrs.  R  applied  for  aid  to  the  Relief  Society  of  D.  She  was  in 
ill  health,  about  to  be  confined,  and  accompanied  by  three  minor 
children.  Her  husband  had  preceded  her  to  D  by  about  six 
months.  She  had  been  furnished  with  a  ticket  to  D  from  0  by 
the  Eelief  Society  of  the  latter  city,  where  she  had  previously 
resided.  She  had  been  dependent  upon  the  society  in  0  for  some 
months;  and  upon  her  statement  and  that  of  her  husband  that  he 
was  able  and  willing  to  send  for  her  and  support  her  and  her 
children  in  D  she  was  furnished  with  the  ticket  hereinbefore  men- 
tioned. 

The  society  in  G  explains  that  it  believed  that  the  husband  could 
make  use  of  the  money — which  he  would  otherwise  have  expended 
for  railroad  fares — for  household  furniture,  etc.  The  head  of  the 
society  in  G  also  writes,  "I  did  not  have  anything  to  do  with  their 
going  to  D,  except  that  I,  of  my  own  accord,  furnished  them  with 
transportation." 

While  it  is  evident  from  the  record  that  the  officers  of  the  society 
in  G  were  actuated  by  kindly  motives,  nevertheless  the  entire  pro- 
ceeding is  so  palpably  a  violation  of  the  transportation  rules  of 
the  Conference  that  it  is  surprising  that  the  society  at  G  should 
not  voluntarily  have  anticipated  the  decision  of  this  committee 
that  it  is  liable  to  D  for  all  its  proper  disbursements  in  the  premises. 

All  concur. 
Filed  October  5,  1910. 


319 


INDEX. 


ABRAHAMS,  ISRAEL,  on  Medieval   De- 
sertion, 55. 
ADDAMS,  JANE,  39. 

ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME,  Hon.  Elias  Mi- 
chael, 29-31. 

AGRICULTURE,  Jews  should  be  encour- 
aged to  engage  in,  130,  131; 
men  now  profitably  engaged  in,  130; 
the  hope  of  distribution,  150; 
training  farms  suggested,  151; 
failure  of  farm  experiment,  152,  165, 

166' 

farming,' 249,  271. 
AGUNAH,  56. 


BARON  DE  HIRSCH  TRADE  SCHOOL,  249. 

BASHEIN,  JACOB,  234. 

BERLINSKY,  G.  A.,  106,  297. 

BlENENSTOCK,  MONTEFIORE,  265. 

BILLIKOPF,  JACOB,  107,  160. 

BLAUSTEIN,  DR.  DAVID,  297. 

BOARDS,  often  apply  business  stand- 
ards to  charity,  260; 
are  responsible  to  community,  261 ; 
should  keep  pace  with  the  paid  work- 
ers, 262; 
should  educate  themselves  on  social 

questions,  268; 
are  social  workers,  269. 

BOGEN,  BORIS  D.,  103,  254,  273,  281, 
297 

BRESSLER,  DAVID  M.,  Ill,  166,  209. 

BUREAU  OF  DISTRIBUTION,  failure  of, 
153. 

BUSINESS  MEETING,  199. 


CHARITIES,  general,  debt  of,  to  Jewish, 

39. 

CHARITY,  common  sense  in,  33; 
science  in,  34,  278; 
will  become  a  municipal  function, 

256,  267. 

CHARITY,  Jewish,  wide  scope  of,  11; 
fundamental  purpose  of,  30; 
peculiar  problems  of,  31; 
recent  change  in  spirit  of,  32; 
organization  of,  36,  279-281; 
warrant  for,  36-38; 
not  preventive,  286. 
CHARITY  WORKER,  relation  of  Jewish 

to  general,  38. 

CHILDREN,  Jewish  dependent,  board- 
ing of,  40,  207; 


CHILDREN  in  private  homes,  205; 

bureaus  for,  in  New  York  City, 

205; 
work    supervised    by    the    State 

Board  of  Charities,  207; 
statistics,  208; 
attack  upon,  208; 
advantages  of,  210; 
effect  upon  the  children,  210,  211; 
as  practiced  formerly,  219,  220; 
problem  peculiarly  great  in  New 

York,  220; 

affected  by  conditions,  229; 
homes  good  in  Chicago,  234; 
in  experimental  stage,  235; 
has  good  effect  on  health,  235; 
institutions  for,  205; 

models  for  mothers,  230; 
homes  should  be  investigated,  206, 

223; 
attend  public  schools,  207; 

religious  schools,  207; 
health  supervised,  207; 
clothing,  207; 

receive  individual  attention,  209; 
surroundings,  209; 
difficulty  of  finding  good  homes,  220; 
homes,  should  be  inspected,  224; 
poor  conditions  in,  224,  225; 
selfish  motives  in,  225; 
advantages  of  institutions  for,  226; 
cottage  type  of,  226; 
atypical,  227,  229; 
homes  for,  231,  236; 
in  non-Jewish  homes,  232; 
as  companions,  236,  237; 
of  widowed  mothers,  in  institutions. 

238; 

cause  of  dependence  of,  240; 
health  tests  of,  241 ; 
special  dietaries  for,  241; 
physically  defective,  242; 
industrial  training  of,  242,  243,  246, 

249,  252; 
education  of,  239,  243,  244,  251,  252, 

253; 

religious  training  of,  239,  240; 
vocational  training  of,  243,  246; 
See  Mothers,  Orphan  Asylums  and 

Pensioning  Widowed  Mothers. 
CLARA  DE  HIRSCH  HOME  FOR  WORK- 

ing  Girls,  249. 

COFFEE,  REV.  RUDOLPH  I.,  271. 
COMMITTEE  ON  PRESIDENT'S  MESSAGE, 
Report  of,  167. 


320 


INDEX. 


COMMITTEE  ON  TRANSPORTATION,  Re- 
port of,  41. 

CONSTITUTION,  7-9. 

COURT  OF  DOMESTIC  RELATIONS,  78, 
94. 


DECISIONS  OP  TRANSPORTATION  COM- 

mittee,  48,  307. 

DELEGATES,  Register  of,  19-24. 
DESERTION,   Central  Bureau  of,   Re- 
commended, 49,  77,  104; 
not  a  distinctly  Jewish  problem.  54, 

110; 

greater  among  non-Jews,  55; 
old  evil,  55; 
legislation  against,  in  Middle  Ages, 

55; 

Treated  in  Shulchan  Aruch,  56; 
few  cases  in  Kansas  City,  56; 
and  in  Cincinnati,  57; 
children  deserted,  56; 
percentages  of,  in  various  cities,  56, 

58; 
money  spent  on  deserted  families, 

56,  110; 
difficult  to  obtain  uniform  statistics, 

58; 

causes  of,  58;  et  seq.,  87; 
immorality,  62; 
lack  of  work,  62-65; 
insufficient  earnings,  65; 
birth  of  child,  65; 
incompatibility  of  temper,  65,  66; 
disparity  in  age,  66; 
Jewish  causes,  different,  104,  105; 
investigation   of,   in    1902,    59,    60, 

62; 

Zilpha  D.  Smith  on,  59,  61; 
Lilian  Brandt  on,  61 ; 
age  of  deserters,  67; 
frequency  of,  67,  68; 
length  of,  69,  70,  72,  73; 
return  of  deserters,  70,  71 ; 
remedies  for,  71 ; 
Cincinnati  plan  for  treating,  71-73, 

84,  85,  101,  106; 
criticised,  102,  103; 
permanency  of,  72; 
case  of,   involving  New  York  and 

London,  74; 

as  an  extraditable  offense,  76,  78; 
results  of  prosecution  for,  in   New 

York,  76; 
has    relatively    decreased    in    New 

York,  76; 
misdemeanor  or  felony,  77,  78; 


DESERTION,  should  have  special  State 
supervision,  78; 

court  of  domestic  relations  sug- 
gested, 78,  94; 

William  C.  Baldwin  on,  79,  80; 

family  of  deserter  paid  for  prison 
work,  79; 

as  handled  in  Washington  Juvenile 
Court,  80,  100; 

forms  for  study  of,  81-83; 

discussion  of,  84  et  seq. ; 

New  York  experiences  unique,  84; 

much  does  not  reach  chantable  or- 
ganization, 84; 

definition  of,  desirable,  86; 

reason  for  considering  at  charity 
conference,  86; 

not  limited  to  the  poor,  86; 

results,  not  causes,  primary  consid- 
eration, 87; 

among  the  rich,  87; 

ways  of  handling  by  courts,  87; 

courts  not  eager  to  inflict  punish- 
ment, 88,  96; 

causes  aggravated  in  heterogeneous 
community,  88; 

Missouri  doctrine,  88,  89; 

Educational  Alliance  combatting,  89, 
90; 

method  of  New  York  Legal  Aid  Bu- 
reau, 90,  91; 

result  in  certain  cases,  91,  92; 

complication  of  the  question,  92; 

effect  of  get,  92; 

legal  dilemma  for  Russian  Jew,  93; 

get  without  divorce  misdemeanor  in 
New  York,  93; 

photographs  of  deserters  generally 
obtainable,  100; 

methods  of  apprehending  deserters, 
97; 

police  unreliable,  97; 

Yiddish  papers  can  be  of  service,  98, 
99; 

deserters  generally  go  to  large  cities, 
99; 

objection  to  statistics  of,  94; 

deserter,  bad  rather  than  unfortu- 
nate, 96; 

difficulty  of  handling  the  evil  of, 
96; 

uniform  laws,  desirable,  96,  103,  199; 

wives  should  be  helped,  102; 

mistaken  help  dangerous,  103; 

Illinois  progressive  laws  on,  105; 

education  of  wife  as  remedy,  105; 

none  in  Ron  mania,  105; 


INDEX. 


321 


DESERTION,  Americanized  husband  and 

foreign  wife,  105; 

friendly   visitors   and   social   settle- 
ments, as  remedial  agents,  106; 
Kansas  City  plan  of  meeting,  107; 

approved,  110; 

parole  system  for  deserters,  107; 
specific  case  of  paroled  deserter,  108; 
not  on  increase,  110; 
prevention,  the  keynote,  106; 
among  clients  of  Industrial  Removal 

Office,  147. 
DRUCKER,  SAUL,  229. 


ELECTION,  of  officers  and  directors,  203 
ELECTION  OF  OFFICERS  OF  SECTION  OF 

Social  Workers,  297. 
EMPLOYERS'  LIABILITY  LAW  IN  OHIO, 

192; 
abolition  of  strict  rule  of  negligence, 

192-194. 


"FAMILY  DESERTION,"  54-83. 
FARMERS    (JEWISH)    IN   THE    UNITED 

States,  249; 
in  New  Jersey,  250. 
FREE  LOAN  SOCIETIES,  See  Gemillath 

Chasodim. 
FRIENDLY  INNS:     See  Hachnosas  Or- 

chim. 

FRISCH,  RABBI  EPHRAIM,   144. 
FROHLICHSTEIN,  S.  H.,  158. 
FURTH,  JACOB,  162. 


GALVESTON  MOVEMENT,  122; 

method  of  work,  125; 

committees    created    in    west    and 
southwest,  125; 

port  unknown  to  immigrants,  125; 

not  an  experiment,  126; 

number  distributed,  126; 

sympathetically  received  by  German 
and  Russian  element,  126; 

infuses    pioneer    spirit    into    immi- 
grants, 126; 

transportation,      shortcomings      of, 
127; 

can  become  effective  means  of  dis- 
tribution, 127; 

ignorance  of  immigrants  a  drawback, 

128. 

GEMILLATH  CHASODIM,  45-46. 
GET,  complicates  question  of  desertion, 
92; 


GET,  without  divorce,  misdemeanor  in 

New  York,  93; 

GOLDSTEIN,  RABBI  SIDNEY  E.,  287, 
GREENSFELDER,  BERNARD,  186. 

HACHNOSAS  ORCHIM,  45-46. 

HARRISON,  RABBI  LEON,  53. 

HEBREW  ORPHAN  ASYLUM  OF  NEW 
York  City,  work  of  the,  in  con- 
nection with  boarding  out  chil- 
dren and  pensioning  widowed 
mothers,  204-219. 

HEBREW  SHELTERING  GUARDIAN  So- 
ciety of  New  York  City,  work 
of,  in  boarding  out  children  and 
pensioning  widowed  mothers, 
204-219. 

HEBREW  TECHNICAL  SCHOOL  FOR 
Boys,  249. 

HEBREW  TECHNICAL  SCHOOL  FOR 
Girls,  249. 

HELLER,  ERNESTINE,  297. 

HERZBERG,  MAX,  197. 

HOLLANDER,  PROFESSOR  J.  H.,  32. 

IMMIGRANTS,  distracted  by  life  of  New 
York,  113; 

just  like  other  men,  115; 

should  be  attracted  to  the  farm,  130; 

become  rapidly  Americanized,   147; 

their  percentage  of  wrong-doing  less 

than  of  native-born,  156. 
IMMIGRATION  DEMANDS  CONTINUATION 
of  Jewish  Charities,  42; 

not  a  Jewish  problem  only,  42; 

Jewish  immigrants  needed,  43; 

should  be  considered  in  regard  to  best 
interests  of  this  country,  43; 

very  valuable  to  this  country,  43; 

dangers  of,  44; 

American  Jews  must  meet  problems 
of,  44; 

threatened  by  unfounded  cry,  154; 

should  not  be  restricted,  156; 

See  Galveston  movement,  Indus- 
trial Removal  Office  and  Remo- 
val work. 
INDUSTRIAL  REMOVAL  OFFICE,  111; 

meets  a  definite  need,  111; 

is  clearing-house  for  Jewish  immigra- 
tion, 112; 

to  distribute  descriptive  leaflets,  128; 

r6sum6  of  work  of,  132; 

occupations    of    those    distributed, 
133-135; 

in  Philadelphia  and  Boston,  136. 


1NDKX. 


JEWISH  IMMIGRANT"'  INFORMATION  Bu- 
reau, report  of,  137-139; 
occupations  of  immigrants  handled 

by,  140; 

See  Galveston  Movement. 
JEWISH  HOME    FINDING    SOCIETY   OF 
Chipago,  231 


KALISKY,  MIRIAM,  105. 
KAUFMAN,  S.  B.,  104,  296. 


LANDSBERG,  DR.  MAX,  237 
LEGAL  AID,  168; 
has  not  received  sufficient  attention, 

168; 

many  requests  for,  169; 
legal  technicalities  create  difficulties, 

170,  171; 
ethics  of  members  of  the  bar,  170, 

172; 
simplification  of  procedure  desired, 

170; 

administration  of  justice  neither  sat- 
isfactory nor  logical,  170; 
justice  often  case  of  money,  172; 
preventive  measures  in  Chicago,  173; 
hundreds  of  preventable  arrests,  173; 
courts  breed  useless  strife,  174; 
agents  at  police  stations  intercept 

legislation,  174; 
persons   dissuaded    from    litigating, 

174; 

cases  arbitrated  out  of  court,  174; 
large  numbers  involved  in  cases,  174; 
judges  now  co-operate  with  workers, 

175,  195; 
classification    of    cases    handled    in 

Chicago,  175-176; 
foreigners  pursued  by  police,  177; 
social  worker  protects  them,  177; 
Illinois    "Contributing    Act"    very 

helpful,  178; 

money  collected  for  neglected  fam- 
ilies, 178; 

social  workers  in  criminal  courts,  179; 
social  workers  in  insane  courts,  180; 
personal  injury  cases  successfully 

handled,  182; 
adherence  to  letter  of  law  dooms 

many,  184; 

tremendous  step  forward,   184; 
courts  appreciate  services  of    social 

workers,  185; 
discussion  of,  186; 
paid  worker  necessary,  187; 


LEGAL  AID,  expenditures  in  large  cities 

not  warranted  in  small,  187; 
"Contributing  Act"  approved,  187; 
in  St.  Louis,  188; 
LEGAL  AID  DISPENSARIES  UNDER  STATE 

control,  189; 

a  beginning  in  Colorado,  189; 
something    similar    in    Nuremberg, 

189; 

subdivision  of  philanthropy,  190; 
exceptions  to  some  of  Miss  Low's 

statements,  191; 
in  Cincinnati,  194; 
police  should  pass  upon  issuance  of 

warrants,  195; 

infractions  of  the  law  not  to  be  con- 
doned, 196; 
necessary  part  of  modern  charity, 

196; 
to  be  rendered  only  to  those  actually 

in  need,  197; 
not  to  interfere  in  criminal  actions, 

197; 

nor  negligence  cases,  197; 
discouragement  of  litigation,  197; 
necessity  for  uniform  laws,  199. 
LEUCHT,  RABBI  I.  L.,  157. 
LEVI,     LEO    N.,    suggested    removal 

work,  163; 

LEVIN,  Louis  H.,  45,  278. 
Low,  MINNIE  F.,  168,  198,  232; 
LOWENSTEIN,  SOLOMON,  204. 

MACK,  JUDGE  JULIAN  W.,  41. 
MANHATTAN  TRADE  SCHOOL  FOR  GIRLS, 

249. 

MARKS,  MARTIN  A.,  167. 
MAUSER,  HENRY,  219. 
MAY,  MAX  B.,  191. 
MEETINGS,  informal,  between  Biennial 

Conferences,  52; 
annual,  desirable,  52. 
MEMBERSHIP  LIST,  10-18. 
MEMBERS,  individual,  desirable,  52,  53; 
MICHAEL,  HON.  ELIAS,  29. 
MITCHELL,  MAX,  297. 
MOTHERS,  keep  children  with,  40; 
competence  of,  238; 

See  Children  and  Pensioning  Wid- 
owed mothers. 

NATIONAL  CONFERENCE  OF  JEWISH 
Charities,  Prime  Purpose  of, 
42; 

should  have  comprehensive  member- 
ship, 42; 


INDEX. 


323 


NATIONAL    CONFERENCE    OF   JEWISH 
Charities,  local  charities  should 
affiliate  with,  46; 
membership  increased,  47; 
Yiddish   societies    should    join,    47, 

51; 

new  members  of,  47,  48; 
use  of  funds  of,  48; 
Traveling  Scholarship  of,  discontin- 
ued, 48; 
individual  membership  in,  desirable, 

49; 
NEWMAN,  A.  S.,  95. 

OFFICERS,  list  of,  1908-1910,  5;  1910- 

1912,  6. 
OHIO  HUMANE  SOCIETY,  56,  71,  85, 102, 

103,  106,  195. 
ORPHAN  ASYLUM,  not  an  experiment, 

237; 

should  be  temporary,  238; 
after-care  by,  253; 
See  Children. 


PAGE  COMMISSION,  189,  190. 
PENSIONING   WIDOWED    MOTHERS,    A 
Study  of  the  Problem  of,  204- 
219; 
questions  for  the  study  of  cases,  211, 

212; 

tabulation  of  information  concern- 
ing, 213-215; 

housing  conditions,  215,  216; 
employment  of  children,  216; 
health  of  families,  216,  217; 
recreations  of  children,  217; 
delinquency  rare,  217; 
relief  statistics,  217; 
support  must  be  adequate,  218; 
requires  supervision,  218; 
needs  friendly  visitor,  218; 
unsatisfactory  homes,  227; 
ample  relief  to,  in  Chicago,  233; 
may  not  go  out  to  work,  233; 
should  not  be  separated  from  chil- 
dren even  temporarily,  234. 
PINCUS,  J.  W.,  297. 
PRAYER,  by  Rabbi  Samuel  Sale,  28; 
by  Rabbi  Leon  Harrison,  53; 
by  Rabbi  Mendel  Silber,  297. 
PRESIDENTIAL  ADDRESS,  by  Professor 

J.  H.  Hollander,  32-39. 
PROCEEDINGS,  19. 
PROGRAM,  of  the  Conference,  25; 
of  the  Section  of  Jewish  Social  Work- 
ers, 26. 


REEDER,  RUDOLPH  R.,  on  institutions 

for  children,  225,  226. 
"RELATION    BETWEEN    THE    SOCIAL 
Worker  and  His  Organization, 
The,"  254-265. 

REMOVAL  WORK,  Including  Galveston, 
111; 

not  designed  simply  to  meet  emer- 
gencies, 112; 

is  constructive,  112; 

both    philanthropic    and    economic. 
113; 

has  dual  aspect,  113; 

number  removed,  114; 

method  of,  114,  115; 

rules  governing,  115-117; 

kind  of  position  for  applicants,  116; 

task  of  receiving  community,  116; 

social  necessities  of  removed  appli- 
cants, 117; 

applicants  often  highly  skilled,  118; 

many  places  able  to  receive  appli- 
cants, 118; 

machinery  of  distribution  should  be 
perfected,  119,  149; 

not  sufficiently  widespread,  119; 

to  create  nuclei  of  immigrants,  119; 

some  beneficiaries  unreasonable,  120; 

smaller  towns  should  help,  120; 

many  trades  represented  among  ben- 
eficiaries, 121; 

seeks    to    make    distribution    auto- 
matic, 122; 

illustrated  lectures  well  received,  128; 

transportation  costly,  129; 

discussion  of,  141,  et  seq.; 

local  peculiarities  of  receiving  com- 
munities, 141; 

local  prejudice  against  Jews,  142; 

immigrant    house    in    Minneapolis, 
.    142; 

Minneapolis  method,  143; 

B'nai  B'rith  and,  143,  158,  159; 

advantages  of,  to  beneficiaries,  145; 

work  well  done,  145; 

more  skilled  workmen  now  apply- 
ing, 146; 

work  at  Pine  Bluff,  Ark.,  146,  et  seq. ; 

non-Jewish    Associations    interested 
in,  148; 

shops  to   test    skill    of    applicants, 
150; 

"sympathetic  distribution,"  153; 

drawbacks  in  New  Orleans,  157; 
cannot  take  large  number,  157; 

in  St.  Louis,  159; 

in  Kansas  City,  160,  161; 


324 


INDEX. 


REMOVAL  WORK  in  Memphis,  165; 
See  Galveston  Movement  Indus- 
trial Removal  Office. 
RESOLUTIONS,  200-202. 
RULES    FOR    THE     REGULATION     OP 
Transportation,  307. 

SABSOVICH,  H.  L.,  248. 
SALE,  RABBI  SAMUEL,  28. 
SAM  FIELD,  RABBI  M.,  165. 
SCHIFF,  JACOB  H.,  123,  144,  161. 
SCHOLARSHIP,  Traveling,  discontinued, 

48. 

SCHULMAN,  RABBI  SAMUEL,  277. 
SEAMAN,  PHILIP  L.,  291. 
SECRETARY,  Report  of,  45. 
SECTION  OF  SOCIAL  WORKERS,  52,  204- 

297. 

SENIOR,  MAX,  84. 

SHULCHAN  ARUCH,  treats  desertion,  56. 
SILBER,  RABBI  MENDEL,  297. 
SOCIAL  SERVICE,  not  a  profession,  288; 
is  a  profession,  292; 
does  not  center  about  the  relief  office, 

293; 

and  socialism,  295-296. 
"SOCIAL  WORK   AS   A   PROFESSION," 

278-289. 

SOCIAL  WORKER,  should  have  respect 
for  his  community,  254,  262- 
263; 

qualifications  for,  255-256,  270; 
necessity  of,  256; 
should  have  confidence  of  board  of 

managers,  257; 

interviews  on  relations  with  organiza- 
tions, 258-259; 
should  be  a  leader,  262; 
should  not  emphasize  the  faults  of 

the  poor,  263; 

relation  to  the  beneficiaries,  264,  265; 
should  know  the  community,  266; 
should  work  with  the  municipal  au- 
thorities. 267; 

should  be  of  high  intelligence,  270; 
relation    to    boards  and  individual 

member,  271; 
ignorance  of,  271-272; 
social  standing.  273,  284,  290,  291 ; 
differentiated  by  study,  281; 
number  among  Jews,  281,  282; 

likely  to  increase,  286; 
function,  282,  283; 
has  future  of  unusual  opportunities, 

284; 

should  harmonize  the  older  and  the 
later  charities,  285; 


SOCIAL  WORKER,  should  organize 
Jewish  charitable  forces  to  aid 
movements  for  general  benefit, 
285; 

narrowed  by  his  special  field,  289; 
often  untrained,  290; 
should  be  reformer,  2%; 
description  of,  296. 

SOLOMON,  MRS.  HENRY,  103,  198,  231, 
237. 

"SPECIAL  EDUCATION  FOR  JEWISH 
Dependent  Children  with  Par- 
ticular Reference  to  Industrial 
and  Technical  Training,"  239- 
248. 

STIX,  MRS.  C.  A.,  101. 

"STUDY  OF  THE  PROBLEM  OF  BOARDING 
Out  Jewish  Children  and  of 
Pensioning  Widowed  Mothers," 
204-219. 

SULZBEROER,  CYRUS  L.,  104,  152,  272. 

TELLER,  CHESTER  J.,  228,  270,  297. 

TRAINING,  Jewish,  251. 

TRANSPORTATION,  Basis  of  the  National 
Organization,  41. 

TRANSPORTATION  COMMITTEE,  De- 
cisions of,  48,  307. 

TUSKA,  BENJAMIN,  86. 

UNITED  HEBREW  CHARITIES,  of  New 
York  City,  work  of,  in  co-op- 
eration with  orphan  asylums,  in 
subsidizing  widowed  mothers, 
204-219. 

"VINELAND'S  SWEETS,"  250. 

WALDMAN,  MORRIS  D.,  54,  209,  227, 

296. 

WEIL,  JONAS,  141. 
WEST,  JAMES  E.,  on  finding  homes  for 

children,  223. 
WHITE  HOUSE  CONFERENCE  ON  THE 

Care   of   Dependent   Children, 

222 

WEINER,  CECIL  B.,  253,  297. 
WOLFENSTEIN,  DR.  S.,  204,  237. 
WOOLF,  HENRY,  250. 
WORK  OF  THE  Y.  M.  H.  A.  OF  N«w 

York,  274-278. 
WYLE,  ARMAND,  222. 

Y.  M.  H.  A..  274-278. 
YOUNKER,  Falk,  274. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     001  160  670     4 


